Monsanto, lies and coverup? Readers, what do you think???

I usually don't summarize articles in this forum, but I do so today, ending the summary with some questions for the reader.  Mercola recently published a couple posts about Monsanto, and I will summarize one of them here.  (More info on this topic can be gained via the search bar at his website, Mercola.com.)  I am not as focused on expose as Mercola is--I just try to avoid unhealthy food, and farm fresh food tastes better.  I think Mercola's voice is really important, even if he may be a bit "overly-entrepreneurial" at times on his site.

This blog is for the readers--the most important part of this blog are your comments at the end...(otherwise you could go to Mercola and just read his posts.)  I invite all comments including opposing views.

Mercola states, "When it comes to products with the potential to devastate the planet, Monsanto takes the cake.  This company has single-handedly created some of the most destructive products know to man, including polychlorinated biphenyls, knows as PCBs, and dioxin (Agent Orange).  They are also the world leader in genetically modified (GM) seeds--and if we don't take action soon, the entire planet could soon become contaminated with these toxic seeds, leading to the complete destruction of the natural food supply...Monsanto insists that GM foods are no different from conventionally grown varieties, but the research does NOT support this claim.  Here is just a sampling of the unsavory findings associated with GM foods."

He goes on to list research findings of GMOs being linked to "lung damage in mice, cancer in rats, bacteria in the gut taking up DNA from GM food, significant organ disruptions in rats and mice, specifically the kidney, liver, heart and spleen, a wide variety of immune responses in mice, commonly associated with diseases such as arthritis, Lou Gehrig's disease, osteoporosis, and inflammatory bowel disease...offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a fivefold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce, male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells, the embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning, several US farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties, and investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products."

"First came Agent Orange and PCBs, and now we have glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's nonselective broad-spectrum herbicide roundup."  These lead to superweeds that can choke out crops and poison soil, water and possibly kill plants and wildlife.  "Monsanto's own tests showed that only two percent of the herbicide broke down after 28 days, which means it readily persists in the environment!  This chemical is now showing up in air and rain samples across the United States."  Glyphosate is linked to 40 different crop diseases, and the EPA is now seriously looking into the damage it does to humans.

Monsanto now produces seeds that self-destruct, and of they contaminate other crops, the seed sterility could be passed along.  "If allowed to continue, every farmer in the world could come to rely on Monsanto for their seed supply!"

Mercola continues to write about "Monsanto's History of Deception and Drive for Power...suing small farmers...secretly discharging PCB-laden toxic waste into an Alabama creek, and dumping millions of pounds of PCBs into open-pit landfills for decades after the PCBs were banned in the US for being a possible carcinogen, being found guilty of bribery to bypass Indonesian law requiring an environmental assessment review for genetically engineered cotton...In 2007, the South African Advertising Standards Authority also found Monsanto guilty of lying when advertising that no negative reactions of Genetically Modified food have been reported.  According to one EPA scientist, Monsanto doctored studies and covered-up dioxin contamination of a wide range of it's products.  She concluded that the company's behavior constituted "a long pattern of fraud."

This was a pretty dry summary, but I think relevant.  I am curious about what people think about GMs and Mercola's accusations against Monsanto.  What makes some people continue to buy GM foods?  Do they just not have access to this type of information?  Or maybe they disagree with the view that GMs are unhealthy?  Are many people too busy with life to have to worry about the hassle and cost of organic shopping?  Or have they been totally free of health issues and just don't see a need to avoid GMs?  This particular post is really dedicated to the readers, and I look forward to hearing the comments... be as honest as you want; I may use some of your comments to spark more story ideas for this blog. 


My answer to the above questions is that I didn't start eating all organic until a year ago when I was diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue.  Until then, I thought I was totally healthy and that "small amounts of toxins found in food and water didn't affect me."  As I have begun consulting holistic health practitioners, associating with holistic health professionals at the holistic gym where I work, and doing research, I have come to be more specific about choosing foods that I eat, opting for organic rather than going for conventional foods.  And yes, in the past, I would eat some organic foods, but not all organic because of the cost.  In the past, I also didn't know much about GMOs.  I had a vague understanding that GMOs were "undesirable," but was pretty busy with my life and didn't think about them much.  (Regarding Monsanto, I am from St. Louis, it's headquarters, and have read and heard a couple rumors about shady stuff going on there, so I never really take Monsanto's word on anything at face value without scrutiny--especially since, for years, they said Roundup was harmless....)

A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix