It’s fitting that Michael J. Fox stars in this video, given the fact that he’s a long time sufferer of the second most common neurodegenerative disease on the planet, Parkinson’s disease. It’s a disease that several recent studies have linked to pesticides, like Monsanto’s ‘glyphosate’ Roundup herbicide, and some of which are already built into GMO crops like corn, soybeans and more.
That being said, it’s also important to note that a recent study published in the journal Biomedical Research International found that Roundup herbicide is 125 more toxic than regulators have claimed.
These agricultural pesticides have also been linked to autism, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
This is just one out of many reasons as to why we should just label Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs), and why everybody has a right to know what they are eating. Everybody should be given the freedom of choice, regardless of whether they believe GMOs are harmful or not.
Why We Have A Right To Know
“Any politician or scientist who tells you these products are safe is either very stupid or lying. The hazards of these foods are uncertain. In view of our enormous ignorance, the premature application of biotechnology is downright dangerous. By slipping it into our food without our knowledge, without any indication that there are genetically modified organisms in our food, we are now unwittingly part of a massive experiment.” – David Suzuki, CC,OBC,PH.D LLD, Geneticist
There’s a reason that several countries around the world have completely banned GMOs and the pesticides that go with them (or have severe restrictions). One of the biggest reasons are the detrimental effects they can and are having on human health.
For example, Sri Lanka recently banned glyphosate from their country because of its possible link to a fatal kidney disease.
In Argentina, deaths from cancerous tumours have as much as doubled in areas where GM crops are grown and agro-chemicals are used.
Several studies have also shed light on glyphosate’s potential to be an endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the hormone system in mammals. These disruptors can cause developmental disorders, birth defects and cancer tumours.
Another popular study, supported by hundreds of scientists from all over the world was the Seralini study. It provided good evidence linking GMOs to cancer, liver/kidney damage as well as severe hormonal disruption. It was published and went through a rigorous peer-review process in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology. The study was then retracted after Richard E. Goodman a former Monsanto researcher become the associate editor for biotechnology at the journal, which sparked outrage among many scientists who supported the study.
Again, over a hundred scientists condemned the retraction of the study and a new study was conducted addressing the criticisms of the old ones . It was then republished again in multiple journals.
What also has people scratching their heads when it comes to GMOs is the secrecy and political corruption that seems to follow. For example, Wikileaks cables reveal that the State Department was lobbying all over the world for Monsanto, and other major biotech corporations. They reveal that American diplomats requested funding to send lobbyists for the biotech industry to meet with politicians and agricultural officials in “target countries.” These included countries in Africa, Latin America and some European countries. This is significant because the documents also indicated that the United States government planned to “retaliate and cause pain” on countries refusing GMOs. The list as to why GMOs should not be approved as completely safe for human consumption is very long and could probably fill up thousands of pages with information from science, to corruption and environmental degradation and more. Despite this fact, most of North America is still struggling to put a label on these foods.
Despite the setbacks, a tremendous amount of progress is being made. A large amount of awareness has now hit mainstream media as a large collective across the planet now openly opposes GMOs. They’ve been banned in various places and two counties in Oregon have even been successful with their ban efforts.
The GMO topic is a great example of a topic growing, being questioned and examined outside of the mainstream media. It’s a topic that became so big in the “underground” news world (for lack of a better term) that the mainstream media had no choice but to pick it up.
As we continue to push forward I have no doubt that GMOs will eventually become extinct, and that a large majority of us will be able to see through the false justifications that have been used to bring them into our world. They are not needed, and we shouldn’t be made to believe that they are.
The information presented in this article is when it comes to GMOs/Pesticides and human health is just a fraction of available information in the public domain. I hope this encourages you to further your research if interested.
(4)http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/parkinsons-disease-and-pesticides-whats-the-connection/
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