GMO – Flashcard

- Public health risks v. benefits - Environmental risks v. benefits

are organisms such as plants, animals, and microorganisms that the genetic characteristics of which have been modified artificially in order to give them a new property

- plant resistance to disease or insects - improvement of a food's quality or nutritional value - increased crop productivity - plant tolerance of a herbicide - functional food enhancement (vitamins, edible vaccines, etc.)

- consisting of or containing living/viable organisms (maize) - foods derived from or containing ingredients derived from GMOs (flour, food protein products, and oil from GM soybeans) - Foods containing single ingredients or additives produced by GM microorganisms (colors, vitamins, and essential amino acids) - food containing ingredients processed by enzymes produced through GMMs (high fructose corn syrup from starch, using the enzyme glucose isomerase [product of GMM])

- food safety - control of food supply - biodiversity loss (super-monoculture) - biodiversity risk (interbreeding) - non-target impacts (beneficial insects) - nightmare scenarios (gene hopping, transgenic "monsters" - fear of the unknown - It's not a 'natural' process

- more abundant and healthy food - less dependence on pesticides - decreased production risks for farmers (frost damage, pest/diseases damage, and higher yields) -more agricultural yield per land mass to feed a hungry growing population - more precise than traditional breeding techniques - efficient production of life-saving medicines

- food safety testing (ELISA, PCR) - substantial equivalence - co-existence with traditional crops - potential for environmental impact - economic impacts - scientific information and mis-information - labeling - traceability - international and trans-boundary trade - patenting

- better resistance to stress (resistance to pests, weather, and extreme conditions) - more nutritious staple food (golden rice - vitamin A) - more productive farm animals (insert genes into cattle to raise their milk yield)

- more food from less land - GMOs might reduce the environmental impact of food production and industrial processes - Rehabilitation of damaged or less-fertile land (plants tolerant to drought and salt) - bioremediation (rehabilitation through microorganisms) - longer shelf lives - biofuels

- investigation of diseases with genetic fingerprinting (using genetic blueprint to see if carrying a disease or vaccinated: animal/human) - vaccines and medicine (engineering plants to produce vaccines, proteins, and other pharmaceutical products) - identification of allergenic genes (Brazil nut led to identification of allergenic protein)

- genes can end up in unexpected places ("gene escape" could lead the gene to other members in the same species or other species) - genes can mutate with harmful effects (unknown however) - "sleeper" genes could be activated and active genes could become "silent" - interaction with wild and native populations (compete or breed with wild species) - impact on birds, insects, and soil biota (potential risks to non-target species)

- transfer of allergenic genes (allergenic Brazil nut gene transferred to transgenic soy bean) - mixing of GM products in the food chain (GM maize for animal feed ended up in human food products) - transfer of antibiotic resistance - loss of farmers' access to plant material (smaller-scale farmer may have to pay for crops) - intellectual property rights could slow research

- most soy, cotton, and canola is GMO - half of field corn is GMO (primarily for feed and grain; glyphosate herbicide resistance and Bt toxin) - insect resistant sweet corn - virus resistant summer squash - virus resistant papaya -GMO wheat, tomatoes, and potatoes abandoned commercially

- herbicide resistant sunflowers, soybean, and canola (for oil) - herbicide resistant alfalfa and sugar beets

- "a food is adulterated if it contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render the food injurious to health" - relates to unapproved substances added by man intentionally or non- intentionally (can apply to products of conventional breeding; i.e. increase of solanine toxin in new breeds of potatoes)

a food is adulterated if it contains any 'added' poisonous or deleterious substance except one that is either: - Food additive (Sec 409) - Generally Recognized As Safe (Sec 201 (s)) (GRAS) - Color additive (Sec 706) - Registered pesticide (Sec 408)

- 'added' means intentional addition so would apply to GMO unless exempt it as additive or GRAS - what about pesticide like Bt corn?

- pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 - chemical (ie. Pb, Hg, PCBs, dioxin, banned pesticides) - radionuclides - Tolerance or action level based on metabolic profile, level of detection, risk assessment

-additive testing requirements -- responsibility of company to collect data and submit finding to FDA -- FDA red book -- LD50 acute toxicity (often not required) -- sub-acute toxicity (90 days) -- life-time chronic feeding trials -- Safety (NRI) based on 1/100th level of NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) - NRI = negligible risk intake (also applied to new GRAS substances)

- EDI (estimate daily intake) < NRI (negligible risk intake) - assessment - natural components - unintentional contaminants - intentionally added constituents - ADI (acceptable daily intake) - added 100x factor to estimate NRI - GRAS related?