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Ethics in and through technology paper
Monsanto case study 1
Monsanto case study 1
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In 2008 “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear” was published in Vanity Fair. Penned by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, this exposition presents acts by Monsanto that may be considered questionable. Acts such as possessing a “shadowy army of private investigators” and the production of “two of the most toxic substances ever known”. The company was established in 1901 as Monsanto Chemical Works.
There is always opposition to pesticides because of the harm that it can cause on the environment and the animals alike. Pesticides though have saved a lot of hard work for farmers over the past couple of decades because it does all the dirty work, for example, the killing of weeds and other pests. Pesticides have also saved a lot of money for farmers by preventing pests from damaging crops or taking the nutrients and water supply away from crops. (Whitford, 7) In the future we need to start to find less toxic ways to prevent pests from attacking the crops and vegetation. This would prevent a lot of the other costs associated with pesticides for example, health costs for farmers that are exposed to the toxic chemicals or the killing of the habitats in the surrounding areas.
In the article entitled Monsanto's Harvest of Fear, Donald L. Barley and James B. Steele demonstrate that Monsanto already dominates the United States food chain with their genetically modified seeds. They are currently targeting milk production which is just as scary as the corporation's legal battles against the small farmers. This situation leads to a history of toxic infections or diseases. There were many disagreements between Gary Rinehart and a stranger about the innovative seeds. They were under surveillance and an investigator came in the picture.
The three essays assigned this week had several common threads running through them. The strongest core theme is the rapid change in the food cycle in America and the vast changes that have taken place in the way by which we grow, produce, and process the food that average Americans eat. The food we eat now is drastically different from what our grandparents grew up eating and the three essays each examine that in a different way. Another theme is the loss of knowledge by the average consumer about where their food comes from, what it is composed of, and what, if any, danger it might pose to them. “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele is a harsh look at the realities of food production in a country where large corporations, like Monsanto, have been allowed to exploit laws and loopholes to bend farmers and consumers to their
those who move out of necessity have no other options left and have no choice but to face the hardships ahead of them, On a larger scale, Julius’ interactions with the city show how much globalization has impacted the world as a whole. It is now normal to have mixed races interacting with each other, different cultures practicing their own beliefs, people speaking different languages, etc. “The pilot announced the final approach for landing, in English, French, and Flemish”. (Cole 94). Definitions have become less important, which is a positive aspect, however the transformation of globalization also has lead those who have the most resources and socio-economic power to prosper the most; they do not have to worry about being discriminated
Firstly, the Central Valley in California is the greatest food resource of the USA operated by Ted Sheeley. A variety of crops such as tomatoes, fruit and nuts that are produced here contribute to huge amounts of the overall production of USA. Various factors contributing to their growth are the soils, bright and sunny skies, temperatures and rains during the summers and water. What was a desert in the 1930s is now one of the largest production reserves of USA due to the water that comes from the California's Shasta Dam which is located around 400 miles to the north of this place.
Why? It’s because, the chemicals goes into the soil and makes runoff from the stormwater, and gets into the water, and pollutes it. The chemicals make the water polluted, which also harms the wildlife. Other things including sediments, dirt, and muck also get in the water
New regulations, an enforced code of ethics and striving to be more socially responsible has led Monsanto to enhance their relationships with stakeholders. Monsanto wrote a pledge to inform all of their
A corporatist markets off what they know would put them in financial ruin if people found out the truth behind what they claim is bettering the world. Once gathering enough positive claims, they proceed anyway. This is the quintessence of GMO marketing. Now, as the newest generation, millennials are likely to have been fed these genetically modified foods growing up, but have the technology to research and make their own intelligent and informed decision on whether these foods should be continued to be produced and distributed throughout the world. It is not being overly suspicious to not believe a corporation such as Monsanto, the leading agrochemical company, when with minimal research they publicize that GMOs are safe to consume.
According to times; The U.S. farmer spends over $11 billion on all pesticides, and 58 percent of that money goes to herbicides, 28 percent to insecticides, eight percent to fungicides and the rest to other chemicals. By now, it was more important to the American farmer to kill weeds than insects. (Ganzel) Hundreds of different types of pesticides surfaced in the post war period, marking a new chemical age and lightening the load on american’s backs during the war and for generations after. And soon after the market was established, it paved the way for others as well.
The book urges us to be responsible when using pesticides and think about the consequences for the environment. Carson provides lots of evidence and real-life examples to show how pesticides can harm ecosystems and reduce bird populations. She also warns about potential health risks for humans.
(2012) indicated that glyphosate is associated with breast cancer based on the results of their study where the female rats that continuously consumed food containing glyphosate developed large mammary tumors. Yong et al. (2010) explained that the disruption of Cytochrome P450 1A2 and the availability of sulfate due to the presence of glyphosate can result to an increase in breast density, high risk to breast cancer, and slow metabolism of estrogen and testosterone. Samsel and Seneff (2013) further added that other diseases associated with glyphosate exposure include obesity and inflammatory bowel
overall user friendly and safe handling qualities. 2,4-D has been around for decades for a reason, and it continues to be one of the most widely used and safest herbicides in the world. In terms of safety, 2,4-D is labeled as Class I in terms of toxicity because of its danger of eye exposure while Glyphosate is labeled as class III with the warning of moderate eye irritation. According to research done on a wide range of pesticides at Oregon State University, it shows that 2,4-D is not considered carcinogenic for humans, non-toxic to bees which are a beneficial insect, and was proven safe towards aquatic animals with the exception of high doses while proving that
Even if the environment could take on DDT, the magnitude of its use was so high that nothing could adapt to it. “To adjust to these chemicals would require time on the scale that is nature’s; it would require not merely the years of a man’s life but the life of generations…” (Carson, 741). However, one of the biggest questions Carson brought attention to was why was the public allowing corporations making profit from these pesticides, to continue use without regulation. She said, “I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm.”
This impact can be reduced by the company by putting more efforts and investment in development and research to improve and eliminate the side effects of their products without much damaging the environment (Monsanto, 2018). Furthermore, Monsanto can employ a team to regularly check whether the negative effects are still being possessed by their products and if it so then the authorities can be alarmed about this and suitable actions can be taken against this