‘All GMOs are Dangerous’: Russian Scientists Call for 10-Year Ban
A lack of sufficient studies has led Russian scientists to seek a ten-year moratorium on the sale of GMOs until further research can be conducted on their safety.
According to an interview given to Interfax, Irina Ermakova, vice president of Russia’s National Association for Genetic Safety, says the examination of genetically modified foods and their influence on human health is vital, “It is necessary to ban GMO, to impose moratorium [on it] for 10 years. While GMO will be prohibited, we can plan experiments, tests, or maybe even new methods of research could be developed.”
Ermakova stated that what research has been conducted on GMOs has only proven the increased risks: “It has been proved that not only in Russia, but also in many other countries in the world, GMO is dangerous. Methods of obtaining the GMO are not perfect, therefore, at this stage, all GMOs are dangerous.”
Pointing towards the use of the Bt toxin, which is genetically added to seeds to make them express a toxin to pests, Ermakova noted that, “Consumption and use of GMOs obtained in such way can lead to tumors, cancers and obesity among animals.” The foods containing Bt toxin may even be connected with an increased risk of diabetes and cancer in areas where GMO foods are more common, said Ermakova.
The Russian government recently suspended the import and sale of a strain of GMO corn distributed by Monsanto after a study linked it to cancer, and according to RT.com, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev “ordered regulatory agencies to consider a possible ban on all GMO imports into Russia.”
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