Got into somewhat of a heated argument yesterday with a couple of folks about the dangers of Monsato in our world...specifically, as it applies to our food supply. They were insisting that there was "nothing wrong" with GMOs, and that it was just a bunch of propaganda generated by conspiracy theorists and fear mongers. Here is how I feel about the whole thing...
I was slammed, because when asked for citation for one of my arguments, I happened to pick a paper co-written by a person who the debater said was a crack who knew nothing about the subject matter. Now, I'm not familiar with the paper co-writter, and explained that I chose that citation because it directly supported what could have very well happened to me personally!
Here is the background. I am currently "allergic" to wheat. I don't really call it a gluten-intolerance, because I find that I only have symptoms when I consume wheat specifically. Oats and the like are fine. If I have wheat in small amounts (such as the coating on a piece of fried fish), I'm okay for the most part, but I do get gassy (sorry if TMI). However, if I have a full serving of wheat...say, like a slice of pizza on normal crust, or sandwich with two slices of bread, or a bowl of cereal containing wheat...my stomach pain is so intense that I just want to curl up in a ball and cry! I will feel nauseated, and the effects will stay with me for at least 24 hours!
The paper I cited expressed concern that Round-Up (specifically the chemical glyphosate) used very commonly in the the process of growing GMO crops (as these crops have been specifically engineered to be immune to the weed-killing effects of glyphosate) is linked to the increase of Celiac and gluten-intolerance. Now, one truly cannot deny that these conditions have been on the rise in the last decade! The paper stated that it was believed that the glyphosate was killing off good bacteria in the digestive track that serve several important functions, such as metabolizing things we ingest and helping the body absorb nutrients correctly (Celiac is a condition where the body cannot absorb nutrients if the person consumes gluten...these people can become very ill if they eat wheat, because it causes them to be malnourished).
When the debater called the co-writer of this paper a freak, I had to point out that it was very plausible, and here is why. I pointed out that my issue started in my 30's...about 10 years ago. The first crops approved for general human consumption didn't come into play until 1994. Since that time, their use have increased year over year, especially as more products were modified. Wheat and corn were among the first crops. Today, you also have soy, peanuts, rice, even potatoes! You look at the fact that I had NO wheat sensitivity at all prior to my 30's, and the timeline of GMO introduction into the general food supply and the use of glyphosate increasing, it is VERY plausible that this is what caused my wheat allergy, and the increase in gluten-intolerance and Celiac, are linked! I said that if GMO and glyphosate increased used started in the 60's, and I was exposed to it my whole life and only started having problems in my 30's, then one could question the link. But the timeline fits!
So, is the whole thing just propaganda?
Here is my stance on things like this. Monsanto is trying really hard to convince everyone that GMOs and glyphosate are safe...so much so that they are doing all they can to block mandatory GMO labeling on foods so that people can make informed decisions for themselves! Now, my experience in life has been, if a company is pushing so hard that something is safe, chances are it isn't. I mean, remember Splenda? Oh, when it came out it was soooooo safe! It was the answer to all our prayers! It was safe for diabetics, it was zero calorie, etc. Well, turns out, it is actually a very bad thing for diabetics to consume, because it affects how the body responds to insulin! There is also this long laundry list of other problems. So, when a company like Monsanto works so hard to convince me something is safe, that is an instant red flag!
I was accused during the argument of ignoring science, that science has proven GMOs safe. Okay...on one side we have scientists saying it is safe. On the other, we also have other scientists saying it is not safe. Hmmm, which am I to believe? Either side can be right or wrong. So what will I do in every case? I will side with unsafe! Why, you may ask? Because I would rather err on the side of caution. I would rather remove that thing from my diet and find out 10-20 years from now that it was perfectly safe and I could have been eating it the entire time, than continue eating it, and find out 10-20 years from now after I already have some irreversible SERIOUS condition (you know, like cancer) and the people claiming the product unsafe were right!
It is also for this reason that I fully support labeling, and truth in labeling!! Now, I'm not asking for some huge sticker on the front of my cereal box saying it has GMOs in it. No...a notation under the ingredient list will be enough...just like the current "May contain nuts, wheat, soy, or milk" notations. Those of us who truly care about what we eat actually read those labels. Those who don't care, will continue to blindly pluck the products off the shelves as they already do! It is that simple! "But we will lose revenue because of all the fuss made AGAINST GMOs!" Really? No, you won't! Why? Because the percentage of people who actually care that much about what they eat and will be deterred by those labels is actually way smaller than the ACTUAL percentage of the population that voted for Trump (remember, some 40+% of the population didn't even vote...and yes, I had to throw in that dig)!
Oh, and science. I fully support science! We would not be where we are today with technological or medical advances without science! One thing to remember; however, not all science is "good" science. How many times have results been "altered" to protect a corporation, and it was later determined that the results published were wrong, because someone got paid off? Also, while you have someone on one side of the fence trying to find the cure for cancer, you have someone on the other side of the fence discovering the latest biological weapon that could potentially wipe out millions of people! That is why you saying in an argument that you are a scientist is not going to change my way of thinking! I don't personally know you...I don't know what side of the fence you work on! Oh, and if you work pharm? Oh, that will make me leery of you from the get go! I have strong reasons to not trust most doctors and the pharms!