GMOs unsafe
GMOs unsafe
In response to Monsanto’s letter in your Sunday, June 16, edition, where Mr. Takemoto tells the public that GMOs have been around for decades now “with no associated health issues,” I would like to note that the incidence of cancer as well autism has increased alarmingly during that same time period.
When you talk about GMOs, you are also going to be talking about glyphosate, or Roundup, as these GMO crops are universally contaminated with it because they were genetically engineered to be “Roundup” resistant. That modified gene effects the stomachs of insects.
A very recent study funded by the Australian government entitled, “A long-term toxicology study on pigs fed a combined genetically modified (GM) soy and GM maize diet” … shows that GMOs fed to pigs cause severe stomach inflammation. You can read this important study here: http://www.organic-systems.org/journal/. Pigs closely resemble humans for the purposes of such studies. Internal inflammation causes a number of human diseases, including cancer.
Another study, “Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors,” published in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, shows that glyphosate causes breast cancer cell proliferation even in the parts per trillion range found in the environment.
A virtual epidemic now, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in Hawaii, according to the Hawaii Department of Health. Sadly, the state and counties continue to spray tons of Roundup every year, in spite of the public’s repeated cries for a halt to this dangerous practice.
Another study, “Occurrence and fate of the herbicide glyphosate … in the atmosphere” (University of Minnesota), found that there is so much Roundup in the environment now that it appears in 60 percent to 100 percent of the samples taken of both air and rain. Roundup contaminates the streams and groundwater, despite Monsanto’s claims that it degrades rapidly.
Today, one can hardly escape exposure to this toxic Monsanto chemical — it is now in the air your breathe, the water you drink, the ground you walk on, and the GMO foods you eat. GMOs are also contaminating traditional crops at an alarming rate. Is it any wonder that cancer and developmental disorders are skyrocketing at an alarming rate?
GMOs are banned in over 60 countries around the world, for good reason. They have not been proven safe.
Vicki Vierra
Keaau
Team up, save cats
I would like to thank the people who have written in support of the feral cat caregivers at the Keaau dump.
I am one of a small group who manages a cat colony at the Pahoa dump. We feed, spay, neuter, and tend to veterinary needs. We do this at our own expense, aided with services offered by Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary and coupons from the Hawaii Island Humane Society. Our colony’s population has dropped from about 15-20 cats a few years ago, to a current total of six or seven.
Our group has also been occasionally threatened with banishment. Management never seems to realize that removing an existing colony of spayed and neutered cats, and their caregivers, will not solve the feral cat problem. New feral cats will move in to fill the void, and of course thoughtless humans will continue to abandon their pets. These new cats will breed uncontrollably and be afflicted with disease, parasites and starvation, and will be far more of a nuisance and an “eyesore” than a managed colony.
Eventually, paid dump workers will be directed to trap and kill the cats. Why not use those funds more constructively? Team up with the caregiving volunteers, rather than view us as an enemy. Avail yourselves of our dedication and experience, and help us. Ultimately, we are all aiming toward the same goal: to control and reduce feral cat populations.
Help build better feeding stations that are out of sight and out of the way of dump operations. A spay and neuter clinic could periodically be allowed on site to specifically target dump cats. Some of the proceeds from the recycle center could help with funding. The Keaau dump is next door neighbors with the Humane Society; perhaps there could be some co-operation. The volunteers who are already donating their time would continue to do so, and the public might feel inspired to be supportive, if given the means.
The only alternative to allowing managed care of feral cats is to get locked into a futile, revolving-door cycle of breeding and killing. A handful of concerned animal lovers forced to work in an “underground” atmosphere cannot prevail single-handedly. We need to join forces to find a humane and effective solution.
It is human irresponsibility that brought these cats into existence, and we owe them responsible and humane treatment.
Linda Moore
Pahoa