A review of deficiencies in present knowledge about the effects and consequences of GE of food

Is there sufficient scientific knowledge to ensure safe commercial exploitation of genetically engineered foods?

Introduction

"Considering that the global situation today is rapidly approaching a critical condition largely due to the consequences of modern technology, we don't find it responsible to introduce new technological applications before it has been ascertained beyond reasonable doubt that they will not contribute to further ecological deterioration. "
(Excerpt from "About PSRAST").

Genetic engineering represents an intervention into living organisms with unprecedented depth and power. Radical artificial alterations of the genetic makeup can be created. If the new genes confer properties that increase the chances of successful survival and of outcompeting natural species, these genes may spread widely and uncontrollably century after century, yes indefinitely.

It is therefore obvious, that especially in the case of genetic engineering, it is most important that it should, as said in our declaration, be "ascertained beyond reasonable doubt that it will not contribute to further deterioration" of global ecology.

For safe commercial application it is necessary to know what are the ecological and health effects of genetically engineered foods. Here we will briefly review the present status of this knowledge.

Contents

Does science have enough knowledge about DNA to be able to predict and master the effects of genetic engineering?" [ML]

The Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods. Reasons to expect hazards and the risk for their appearance. [ML]

"Is there sufficient knowledge about environmental effects to justify release of GE organisms?" [ML]

Overall conclusion of PSRAST

Based on the three above mentioned documents.

Scientific knowledge about the effects of genetic engineering of food is far too incomplete to enable safe application of the technology:

The knowledge about DNA is very incomplete. It is completely insufficient for an understanding and prediction of the effects of genetic manipulations. Important, presently unpredictable and unimaginable complications involving environmental as well as health effects of GE organisms cannot be excluded.
Molecular biology predicts that unexpected, and in the worst case harmful, substances may appear due to GE. This prediction has been supported by experimental observations. There is not enough knowledge to estimate the risk for the appearance of harmful substances. It cannot be excluded that the risk is of a significant magnitude, meaning that present exposure of people to GE food without adequate safety testing, may sooner or later cause a large scale disaster.
There is not enough knowledge about the environmental safety of GE crops or any other GE organism especially in a long term perspective. But there are a number of observations indicating the possibility of harmful and irreversible ecological damage, in the worst case at a large scale.

For these reasons, we don't find commercial application of gene technology for food production responsible and justifiable. Especially so as present GE crops and foods are of very limited, if any, value to mankind. Neither do we find any release of GE organisms into nature responsible and justifiable.

The commercial application of gene technology for the artificial development of organisms is highly premature. Therefore, all such organisms should be withdrawn from the market and be studied only under strictly confined laboratory conditions until enough is known to be able to judge whether it is possible to develop environmentally safe organisms, useful to mankind, in this way. This is likely to take several decades. Increasing evidence is indicating that it is not realistic to expect that this is possible.

Illustrative quotes

"We know far less than one per cent of what will be known about
biology, human physiology, and medicine.

My view of biology is 'We dont know shit.' "

Dr. J. Craig Venter, Time's Scientist of the year (2000). President of the Celera Corporation. Dr. Venter is recognized as one of the two most important scientists in the worldwide effort to map the human genome.

Source: "The Genome Warrior", The New Yorker Magazine, June 12, 2000.

"We do not now how organisms make themselves. We are still... in the dark ages about how organisms regulate their genomes to produce adults."

Richard Strohman, Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology at University of California, Berkeley. He has been at Berkeley since 1959, serving as chair of the nation's top-ranked zoology department and director of the Health and Medical Sciences Program.

Source: Toward a new paradigm for life. Beyond genetic determinism. By Richard Strohman.

"These findings demonstrate the fragmentary nature of current knowledge of genome structure and function and regulation of gene expression in general, and the limited understanding of several physiological, ecological, agronomical and toxicological aspects relevant to present-day and planned genetic modifications of crops."

Source: Visser, A. J. C.; Nijhuis, E. H.; Elsas, J. D. van; Dueck, T. A. "Crops of uncertain nature? Controversies and Knowledge Gaps Concerning Genetically Modified Crops. An Inventory. "Plant Research International (No. 12, 2000) 70 pp.
To abstract.

Published May 1999. Last updated: June 2009.

"Genetically Engineered Food - Safety Problems"
Published by PSRAST

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