Dangers of Transgenic Plants

The Disturbance of Ecological Balance

Unlike chemical or nuclear contamination, <http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/Virology/27/#POLLUTION> genetic pollution is self-perpetuating. Genetically engineered "biological pollutants" are alive, they can reproduce, migrate, and mutate. Once released from the laboratory, it will be virtually impossible to recall genetically engineered organisms back. A report published by 100 top American scientists warned that the release of gene-spliced organisms "...could lead to irreversible, devastating damage to the ecology.

Gene-splicing will likely result in unanticipated outcomes and dangerous surprises. Biotechnology is an imprecise science and scientists will never be able to ensure a 100% success rate. Serious accidents are bound to occur. Researchers conducting experiments at Michigan State University recently found that genetically altering plants to resist viruses can cause the viruses to mutate into new, more virulent forms, or forms that can attack other plant species. Disaster would follow if genetically engineered crop trait such as virus resistance, found their way into weeds, for instance.

By virtue of their "superior" genes, some genetically engineered plants will inevitably run amok, overpowering wild species in the same way that introduced exotic species, such as kudzu vine and Dutch elm disease which have created problems in North America.


GENETIC POLLUTION

Foreign genes from genetically engineered plants could easily be carried by pollen, insects, wind, or rain, and flow into other crops, as well as wild and weedy relatives.

Studies of genetic pollution through pollen or seed dispersal was conducted by field tests with genetically engineered potatoes. The results demonstrated both the high frequency and wide range of gene flow. When normal potato plants were planted in distances up to 1100 metres from genetically engineered potatoes, and the seeds of the normal potatoes were collected afterwards, 72% of the plants in the immediate neighbourhood of the transgenic potatoes contained the transgene. At greater distances an almost constant 35% of seeds contained the transgene (Skogsmyr, 1994)

With the aid of modern transportation, crop seeds can travel hundreds of kilometres between seed merchant, farmer and processing factory, therefore spillage in transport is inevitable - and could be more worrying than threat through pollution spread (Crawley, 1996).


NEW TOXINS AND ALLERGENS

When genetic engineers insert a new gene into any organism there are "position effects" which can lead to unpredictable changes in the pattern of gene expression and genetic function. The protein product of the inserted gene may carry out unexpected reactions and produce potentially toxic products. The process of genetic engineering can thus introduce dangerous new allergens and toxins into foods that were previously naturally safe. Already, one genetically engineered soybean containg one foregin Brazil nut gene could cause allergic reactions in Brazil nuts sensitive to humans (Nordlee et al., 1996)


REFERENCES

1. Crawley M (1996) 'The day of the triffids'. New Scientist 6 July pp 40-41

2. Nordlee J A; Taylor S L, Townsend J A, Thomas L A and Bush R K (1996) identification of a brazil-nut allergen in transgenic soybeans, The New England Journal of medicine, Vol 334, NO. 11: 726-728

3. Skogsmyr I (1994) Gene dispersal from transgenic potatoes to conspecifics: A field trial, Theor. Appl. Genet. 88:770-774.

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