Millions Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Be Released
Jun 13, 2015 16:46:44 GMT -6
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Post by Mystic Wanderer on Jun 13, 2015 16:46:44 GMT -6
The release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes might soon take place in Florida. The biotech company Oxitec and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) are planing to introduce these insects into the area to help stop the spread of multiple tropical diseases. One of the diseases is called Chikungunya, another is dengue, and both are spread by Aedes mosquitoes.
Concerns over this vary, such as, what happens if someone is bitten from one of these mosquitoes?
What about the environmental health impacts report? Again, what about the synthetic DNA from the bites? Who is tracking all of this stuff, and how exactly do you track it? Why are we just assuming everything is okay, without any evidence to back it up?
“Will their GM DNA be injected into your arm or leg? Oxitec has counteracted this objection by stating they only plan to release male mosquitoes, which don’t bite. This again sounds good in theory… but in reality, sorting millions of insects according to sex is no small feat. And even FKMCD notes that although ‘every effort is made to release only males,’ Oxitec trials show that .03 percent of the mosquitoes released are female” -Dr. Joseph Mercola (source)
Environmental NGOs like Greenpeace suggest that GM insects could have a wide range of impacts on the environment and human health due to the "complexity of ecosystems and the high number of unknown factors which make risk assessment difficult'.
These companies have raised a number of concerns which include: (source)
New insects or diseases may fill ecological niche left by the insects suppressed or replaced, possibly resulting in new public health or agricultural problems
The new genes engineered into the insects may jump into other species, a process called horizontal transfer, causing unintended consequences to the ecosystem
Releases would be impossible to monitor and irreversible, as would any damage done to the environment
New insects or diseases may fill ecological niche left by the insects suppressed or replaced, possibly resulting in new public health or agricultural problems
The new genes engineered into the insects may jump into other species, a process called horizontal transfer, causing unintended consequences to the ecosystem
Releases would be impossible to monitor and irreversible, as would any damage done to the environment
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