Is our environment ready for Roundup? Investigation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and their indirect effects on the environment

Abstract

The introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has caused unforeseen effects on humans, animals, and the ecosystem. Although GMO crops may not be a direct hazard to health, their popularity has led to an increase in the application of the herbicide, Roundup. This research serves to understand the details of GMOs and Roundup in order to evaluate their safety. To understand what GMOs are, this paper focuses on Zea mays L., or corn, which has been modified to be herbicide tolerant and insect resistant. There have been studies showing little to no negative effects of genetically modified (GM) crops on animals or humans. However, indirect effects such as increase in herbicides must also be accounted for. Roundup is a nonspecific herbicide that will kill any plants that are not specifically resistant. Since the popularity of GM crops has increased, there has been a 90% decrease in milkweed and a correlated 81% decrease in monarch butterfly populations. Roundup has also been shown to be toxic to frogs and cause morphological changes in tadpoles. Our ecosystem is suffering from Roundup because the EPA/FDA regulations focus solely on the active principle in Roundup which is glyphosate. Mesnage (2011) and Richard (2015) conducted studies that show major discrepancies between glyphosate and Roundup safety. Data analysis has shown Roundup is 250 times more toxic than glyphosate alone. Although GMOs safety is often controversial, the larger issue is the effects of the chemical formulations that we are applying to the GM crops.