Impact of GMOs on humans not fully appreciated

HUMPHREY NKONDE
Correspondent | Friday May 4, 2007 00:00

In response to uncertainty surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), some countries have decided to implement bio-safety laws. These restrain consumption of genetically modified foods and safeguard the environment against contamination of natural seeds including important ones such as maize.

Zambia is one of the countries wary about scientifically altered foodstuffs and seeds. In 2003, the Zambian government rejected genetically modified maize donated by the World Food Programme (WFP). The donation came after the country and other parts of Africa faced a famine in which an estimated 38 million people were threatened with extreme hunger. 'We continue to act with caution,' said Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa last week in reference to GMOs when he commissioned the biotechnology laboratory at Lusaka's Mount Makulu Research Station.  Zambia sourced a K1.9 billion (about $475, 000) to rehabilitate and modify the biotechnology laboratory to be used to determine the GMO status of seeds as well as foodstuffs.  The additional K1.6 billion (about US $400, 000) was donated by the Norwegian government to acquire GMO testing equipment. Part of the money the Norwegian government donated was used to train three scientists on GMOs.  Mwanawasa said it was imperative to have the biotechnology laboratory as some countries demanded the GMO status of foodstuffs before import arrangements are finalised.  'We live in an era where a number of countries now demand that foodstuffs imported are certified with regard to their GMO status... The whole world is aware that the implications of products of modern biotechnology such as genetic engineering on human and animal health as well as the environment are not yet fully understood,' Mwanawasa said. After rejecting the maize from the WFP, Zambia signed the Cartegena Protocol of 2004. This is an internationally binding agreement under the auspices of biological diversity, which governs trans-border movement of GMOs.  Speaking during the commissioning of the biotechnology laboratory, Dr Henry Mwenda, the chairman of the National Institute for Scientific Research, said that the human race could have been saved from the effects of biotechnology if precautionary measures were implemented. Several issues were raised regarding some of the known effects of genetically modified foods in 2003 after the WFP/Zambia saga.

Dr Mwananyanda Mbikusita-Lewanika, a Zambian scientist is quoted saying that it was believed genetically modified foods are capable of causing food toxins and allergies in people with poor health. Other scientists from the European Union said that genetically altered foods could cause resistance to antibiotics, thereby cutting immunity to some diseases. They looked at statistics that estimated that about 16 percent of adults aged between 15 and 45 suffered from HIV/AIDS, while several others were afflicted with TB. The scientists said TB could develop resistance if people consumed genetically modified foods.  Opposing the move that Zambia took over GMOs, some donor agencies said that Africa could not run away from genetically modified foods since it was susceptible to droughts and floods that caused food insecurity. The donor agencies said (the Zambian) government should have weighed the short-term effects of genetically modified foods to long term consequences of malnutrition as well as lack of food by people suffering debilitating diseases such as HIV/AIDS and TB.  Before the Zambian government decided to reject food donated by WFP, there were protests in the Southern Province, where impoverished people broke into storage sheds to loot the genetically modified maize. They told the government that it was better to eat the genetically modified food than die from hunger because it was going to take time to acquire non-genetically modified maize. (Sila Press Agency)