Hi Keith et al, At 07:20 AM 9/18/2002 Wednesday , Keith Hudson wrote: >Karen, > [snip] >One current example of this is genetically-modified food. There is very >good reason to be cautious about the wider environmental effects of >large-scale planting of GM crops, and many of the underhand "experimental" >plantings of such by the large agrichemical companies are to be deplored >(as well as the way they steal plant genes from native peoples and patent >them). Accidental transfers of genes between species in the natural >environment could possibly be dangerous on occasion (even though this has >been happening in nature since time immemorial, and the Victorians did this >on a huge scale when it was fashionable to import thousands of exotic plant >species from around the world in the penultimate century). But such has >been the generalised clamour about GM food by pseudo-intellectuals in the >West with no scientific training whatsoever that some African politicians >have been frightened enough to prevent GM grain being imported by the aid >agencies in order to cope with wide-scale starvation among their people -- >even though, within the stomach, the variant genes within GM food are >broken down and digested as thoroughly as all the others and are of >absolutely no danger. > >Keith >
I don't think it fair or scientific to say "absolutely no danger." I think what you may mean is that when compared to the risk of starvation, GM foods likely have much lower risk. Unintended consequences are always a danger. No, they don't always occur, but they do occur with enough frequency that for items as basic to our survival as food, the potential negative consequences should be studied with great care. The other concern, however, is economic. Our society has come to depend on research being carried out by private enterprises that stand to make a lot of money from their efforts. Yes, their financial risks are great. If it was just a case of these institutions making money, I wouldn't worry, but the ability to control usage of their inventions is also the ability to deny the scientific advances to anyone for any reason. In particular it means control of who lives and who dies. That is a great responsibility that I would prefer was vested in a democratic body of some kind. That creates an economic dilemma that has yet to be worked out to my satisfaction. Dennis Paull Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
