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De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Asthma and Atopic March Syndrome caused by GMOs? Science says ‘No’

Andrew Porterfield & Jon Entine | June 24, 2015 | Genetic Literacy Project

Asthma is a worldwide problem, afflicting more than 230 million people around the globe. It’s particularly a problem with children, sending 775,000 of them to the emergency room every year in the United States. It’s also more prevalent in industrialized countries than in developing or rural ones. Proponents of natural cures and organic products will tell you that the rates of asthma and other allergies is increasing, and the culprits are GMOs.  “‘Multiple animal studies show significant immune dysregulation,’ including increases in cytokines, which are ‘associated with asthma, allergy, and inflammation’—all on the rise in the U.S.,” writes Jeffrey Smith, who runs his vanity anti-GMO site Institute for Responsible Technology. His source? The Academy of Environmental Medicine, a fringe group that promotes anti-vaccine hysteria, natural healing and other pseudo-science views. A number of anti-GMO activists have bunched together asthma with other disorders as a “food related allergy,” and then concluded that the diseases altogether show an increase in allergies…… To Read More.....
 
My Take - There are some things we need to explore in dealing with this.  First, it becomes important to explore in what socio-economic group these increases took place - populations that may have had serious cockroach problems!  We know that serious cockroach infestations are a trigger for increased asthma. This I believe is where most of these statistics originate.  During the time frame talked about her the world of pest control went through a transformation of tools and techniques.

Although the organophosphates and carbamates we lost after 1996 as a result of the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act were great at killing bed bugs, they were no longer as effective at killing cockroaches, and had not been for some years.   In the middle to late 80’s the chemical companies developed synthetic pyrethroids which were more stable and more effective.  All of a sudden poor quality technicians became cockroach control geniuses.  Resistance developed within a few years and then cockroach baits appeared and they have been the backbone of cockroach control ever since.  The point I’m trying to make is there is – at least in my mind – a direct correlation between much better cockroach control and this flattening described in the article.



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