4.14b: risks of genetic engineering in modern times

How can resistant strains be produced?

Pests that are repelled by genetically modified crops producing their own pesticides are likely to eventually develop strains that are resistant to the pesticide. Then the problem won’t have gone away, and will have become worse

How are the benefits exaggerated?

Some scientists exaggerate the benefits of new technology and play down the drawbacks. We do not know the long term impacts of genetically modified foods, so it could potentially be a dangerous process

How might testing be avoided due to a need for this in some countries?

Some companies making genetically modified foods are so powerful that there is a danger that they will put pressure on certain countries’ governments to allow their products to be grown without proper testing

How do we know that proper safety tests have been carried out on genetically modified foods properly?

They are expensive and there is a lot of financial pressure to get products on the market as quickly as possible

What happens if these foods aren’t contained properly?

Genetically modified crops cannot be contained, so pollen from modified crops may spread to other nearby crops and hybrids will form, such as weeds being resistant to pesticides

How can pets be cloned?

There are genetic engineering companies which clone pets for their owners - the next steps may be human cloning

What are adverse effects on health?

Genetically modified foods may cause allergic reactions in people?

How might new diseases emerge?

As some genetically modified foods come from bacteria and viruses, there is a possibility that there may be an emergence of new diseases