Manipulating Biology: Costs, Benefits and Controversies

Content

Food items contain pesticides, and certain amounts of plastics that seep from the wrappers. It is ironic how plastic wrap keeps the food safe, but what about us? To make matters worse, the meats or other foodstuffs are usually placed on Styrofoam trays (along with the plastic covering). That in itself is yet another toxic hazard!  Even liquids have their own dangers. Gone are the glass bottles in favor of the plastic ones. Disposable bottles are not biodegradable so plastic can seep into the ground. A relevant topic teens need to discuss and be aware of is what “chemical footprint” they are creating in themselves due to their choices in food.

Toxins have been discovered to be responsible for weight gain, various cancers, numerous allergies, neurologic disorders, and a multitude of other diseases.¹ Toxins are a threat, which we cannot see. They are invisible which makes it more difficult to pay attention to their dangerous capabilities. People are commonly exposed to thousands of chemicals everyday.  Toxins have a way of infiltrating, and blocking enzymes needed to initiate or maintain bodily functions.² An extensive study by the Environmental Working Group was conducted on nine adults (none of whom worked in industries that could expose them to high levels of toxins). All were tested for the presence of 201 contaminants. The results showed the presence of 167 of the 201 chemicals with an average of 91 per person.³ The common chemicals were linked to cancer, and toxic reactions in the endocrine, immune, and neurological systems. Specific toxins will be cited and discussed further in the Content Objective section.

Additives are one of the economic mainstays in the food industry.  Their capability to keep foods wholesome, and attractive to consumers while being transported thousands of miles around the world is nothing short of a genius marketing strategy.⁴ Additives have the unique capabilities to: have food maintain their consistency, enhance the color and flavor of food (especially seafood); control acid levels to inhibit leavening from occurring; prevent spoilage; and maintain nitrite levels at a safe amount.⁵ Americans eat 150 pounds of additives each year. Of the approximately 3,000 additives that are approved, most of these cause little or no controversy.⁶

Throughout history additives have long been used to enhance food.  Salt was and is being utilized to cure meats. Vinegar is used to cure pickled vegetables. Soda crackers are placed in sugar bins to keep sugar from lumping. Additives received FDA approval in 1958. Food color was added; however, only 90 of the 200 food colors are listed as safe.⁷

Food additives go through stringent testing and evaluation before being approved. Approved additives have labels, including information designating what the additive is being used for, the amount of it to be used safely, and the product identification number stated clearly on its label. ⁸ Specific additives that students come in contact with will be discussed under benefits and controversies in the Content Objectives section.

Pesticides

As we become closer to becoming an integral part of the global community, more and more demands are going to be made on our agriculture output. Pesticides share the common suffix “ides” with herbicides, and fungicides. The suffix “ides” means to kill. Pesticides are composed of chemical compounds that seek and destroy unwanted pests. They protect the crops from bacteria, insects, and other organisms known to destroy crop yields. The use of pesticides has increased crop yield dramatically over the decades making it a mainstay in agricultural domains. There are several pesticides being used by farmers; however the ones most widely administered are the organophosphates. U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 81% of conventionally grown crops are sprayed with this group of pesticides.⁹ They are extremely effective at protecting crops from insects, but it seems that their effectiveness may come as a detriment for humans.¹⁰

The vast majority of modern insecticides fall into one of two large groups of chemicals. One group, represented by DDT, consists of the chlorinated hydrocarbons. The other group consists of the organic phosphates, and is represented by the reasonably familiar malathion and parathion.¹¹ All have one thing in common: they are built on a basis of carbon atoms, which are also the indispensable building blocks of life, and thus both groups are classified as “organic.” Carbon is an element whose atoms have an almost infinite capacity for uniting with each other in chains and rings and various other configurations, and for becoming linked with atoms of other substances.¹²

Hormones

Much like puzzle pieces, hormones act by binding to receptors that are produced and housed within the cell. When hormones bind to receptors, the hormone’s specific instructions get carried out either by altering the cell's existing proteins or turning on the genes that will form new proteins. The “hormone-receptor complex” switches on or off specific biological processes in cells, tissues, and organs.¹³

The endocrine system incorporates the body's different hormones, into regulating the body’s biological processes throughout our lifetime. The major pillar of the endocrine system is developing the structure and function of: brain / nervous systems; metabolism; blood sugar levels; ovaries / testes; and pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands. 

Humans, domesticated animals, fish and wildlife have revealed unfavorable health consequences from being exposed to environmental chemicals that negatively interact with the endocrine system.¹⁴

The majority of beef, and dairy products sitting on dinner tables around America are being consumed on a daily basis possessing something extra in their tissues. Animal growth hormones are given to the animals to increase their weight and grow faster, to produce more resources such as milk, and generally for arriving at the slaughterhouse sooner. Is this a safe practice, or are we being placed in a position to suffer potential ramifications to our health and the health of our progeny?  For years, the cattle industry has been using growth hormones to supplement the growth of these animals caused by their own genes.  Is this a marketing tool to increase profit line for farmers, or are their public health risks waiting to emerge?

Hormones are formed in the endocrine glands and take specific regulatory controls of body functions. They control simple drives such as hunger, for example, as well as more complex ones for emotions, growth, and reproductive abilities. Ten glands are responsible for hormones and their actions: hypothalamus, parathyroid, thymus, thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, pineal, ovaries, and testes.¹⁵ For decades the cattle, and poultry industries have been using hormones to increase the flesh, weight, and milk products from of their animals. Livestock will grow heavier, and can be slaughtered faster by exploiting synthetic hormones to induce the above reactions. The hormones are administered by placing an implant under the skin, such as behind the ear. The implants are inserted at a young age while their growth rates are highest.¹⁶ The majority of researchers in the beef industry feel the hormones implanted in the animals are similar to the ones found in our bodies, but at a much lower dosage than humans produce.¹⁷

Antibiotics

One can never escape from bacteria. They were here before us, and will most likely be around after we are gone.  We have bacteria on our skin and in our bodies and we co-exist with each other without too many problems. However, there are strains that can and do make one sick.  It happens to livestock also.  Due to their crowded habitats, and living conditions, on increasingly large sized farms, the incidences of farm animals contracting infectious diseases are quite high. Antibiotics are routinely fed to the animals to compensate for their exposure to unsanitary conditions.¹⁸ Another valid reason animals especially cows are given antibiotics is for the treatment of mastitis. Mastitis is an inflammation in the udder.  It can be caused from a variety of incidences – seasonal weather /or extreme weather conditions, age of cow or lactation.  The milk from a cow being treated with antibiotics is discarded, documented, and cannot be transported. This procedure goes on for several days to insure that humans are not exposed to tainted milk.¹⁹

Antibiotics costs, benefits and controversies will be discussed in Content Objectives.