Search Results for: Environment
Environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants – concepts and controversies
Abstract: Background and purpose. In Europe, the EU Directive 2001/18/EC lays out the main provisions of environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) organisms that are interpreted very differently by different stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to: (a) describe the current implementation of ERA of GM plants in the EU and its …
Environmental assessment of maize production alternatives: Traditional, intensive and GMO-based cropping patterns
Abstract: The evolution of maize production patterns in Argentina is evaluated over the last 25 years to compare costs, benefits, environmental performance and sustainability as well as to identify the main driving sources and improvement potential. Results from Argentina cropping systems are compared to other systems worldwide in order to put the Argentina results in …
Environmental impacts of genetically modified plants: A review
Abstract: Powerful scientific techniques have caused dramatic expansion of genetically modified crops leading to altered agricultural practices posing direct and indirect environmental implications. Despite the enhanced yield potential, risks and biosafety concerns associated with such GM crops are the fundamental issues to be addressed. An increasing interest can be noted among the researchers and policy …
Environmental fate of insecticidal plant-incorporated protectants from genetically modified crops: knowledge gaps and research opportunities
Abstract: Plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs) are biopesticides expressed in genetically modified (GM) crops and are typically macromolecular in nature. First-generation insecticidal PIPs were Cry proteins expressed in GM crops containing transgenes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis; next-generation double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) PIPs have been recently approved. Like conventional synthetic pesticides, the use of either Cry …
Environmental exposure to glyphosate and reproductive health impacts in agricultural population of Argentina
Abstract: Argentina annually utilizes 240,000 tones of glyphosate in industrial agriculture and a change in the profile of morbidity is perceived for physicians of agricultural areas; now reproductive disorders seem to prevail. The objective of this study is to determine concurrence of glyphosate exposure and reproductive disorders in a typical argentine agricultural town (Monte Maíz). An …
Environmental and ecological aspects in the overall assessment of bioeconomy
Abstract: Bioeconomy solutions potentially reduce the utilization demand of natural resources, and therefore, represent steps towards circular economy, but are not per se equivalent to sustainability. Thus, production may remain to be achieved against losses in natural resources or at other environmental costs, and materials produced by bioeconomy are not necessarily biodegradable. As a consequence, …
Environmental protection goals, policy & publics in the European regulation of GMOs
Abstract: One of the most divisive debates in modern agriculture concerns the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In Europe, the policy debate over GMOs has been met with a persistent attempt to retreat into “sound science” as a potential unifying force. However, environmental risk assessment as an aid to regulatory decision-making is inherently entangled …
Environmental injustice in Argentina: struggles against genetically modified soy
Abstract: This paper explores the unequal distribution of the environmental and social costs and benefits of the genetically modified (GM) soy model in Argentina and its impact on grievance formation and the emergence of contestation. In the 1990s, Argentina transitioned into a neoliberal agro‐industrial model based on producing GM soy for export. Though celebrated as …
Environmental and health effects of the herbicide glyphosate
Abstract: The herbicide glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, has been used extensively in the past 40 years, under the assumption that side effects were minimal. However, in recent years, concerns have increased worldwide about the potential wide ranging direct and indirect health effects of the large scale use of glyphosate. In 2015, the World Health Organization reclassified …
Environmental risks from the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)–the need for molecular ecology
Abstract: Applications to release genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment, usually the agricultural environment, are increasing exponentially. Many involve crop plants that are also weeds. Studies of biological invasions and of biological control show that the probability that a genetically new organism establishing itself is small; it is also unpredictable and in some cases …
Environmental and toxicological impacts of glyphosate with its formulating adjuvant
Abstract: Environmental and toxicological characteristics of formulated pesticides may substantially differ from those of their active ingredients or other components alone. This phenomenon is demonstrated in the case of the herbicide active ingredient glyphosate. Due to its extensive application, this active ingredient was found in surface and ground water samples collected in Békés County, Hungary, …
Environmental assessment of MON 810 maize in the pannonian biogeographical region
Abstract: Fundamental differences between Cry1Ab-based Bt-bioinsecticides and MON 810 maize varieties render these technologies not equivalent. While the former contain at least five different crystalline (Cry) toxins, the latter produce a single Cry1Ab toxin as active ingredient. Moreover, the lectin type toxin protein produced by these plants is a truncated version of microbial Cry1Ab. The …
Environmental and ecological aspects of first generation genetically modified crops regarding their impacts in a European maize producer country
Abstract: The success of the first generation of genetically modified (GM) crops for plant protection purposes in the US has not been followed by similar progress in Europe, where cultivation represents only 3‰ of the overall worldwide GM cultivation area. As for insect resistant GM plants, protection against numerous important maize pests is yet unresolved …
Environmental toxicants and infant mortality in the USA
Abstract: Despite enjoying a high standard of living, the United States ranks 46th among nations reporting infant survival rates to the World Health Organization. Among factors that increase infant mortality are environmental toxicants. Toxic metals such as mercury, aluminum, and lead interact synergistically with fluoride compounds to produce metal fluoride complexes (e.g., AlF3 and AlF4−). …
Environmental health problems of glyphosate applications
Abstract: Glyphosate-based herbicides are leading products of the current pesticide market, and this trend has further strengthened outside Europe with the spread of glyphosate-tolerant GM crops. Glyphosate forms complexes with metal ions (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn) in the soil, but precipitation washes it into deeper soil layers. Its primary metabolite, AMPA, is more mobile than …
Environmental and agronomic impact of the herbicide tolerant GM rapeseed
Abstract: The introduction of genetically modified herbicide tolerant rapeseed has raised questions concerning the possible transfer of transgenes into wild relatives or neighbouring fields with similar crops. Pollen of rapeseed can be spread in the area and if a non-GM crop is fertilised by GM pollen, some percentage of the collected seed product will contain …