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What is biosafety?
Biosafety is a term used to describe efforts to reduce and eliminate the
potential risks resulting from biotechnology and its products.This approach is
based on the Precautionary Principle.While developed countries that are at the
centre of the global biotechnology industry have established domestic biosafety
regimes,many developing countries are only now starting to establish their own
national systems.India does not yet have a proper biosafety regime in place..
What is a Genetically Modified Organism or Living Modified Organism (LMO)?
Genetic Engineering,which is the more accurate term, is popularly referred to as
Genetic Modification and Genetically Modified Organisms as GMOs.These terms are
used interchangeably.The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety uses the terms GMO and
LMO (Living Modified Organisms)to refer to genetically engineered organisms. A
genetically engineered organism is any living organism that possesses a
radically new combination of genetic material obtained through the use of
genetic engineering.
What are GM products?
GMOs
form the basis of a range of products and agricultural commodities.Processed
products containing dead modified organisms or non-living GMO components
include certain vaccines,drugs,food additives and many processed,canned and
preserved foods.They also include corn and soybean derivatives used in many food
and non-food products;corn starch used for cardboard and adhesives;fuel ethanol
for gasoline,vitamins and vaccines;and, yeast-based foods like beer and bread.
What are some potential benefits of biotech-nology?
Supporters of genetic engineering promise remarkable advances in medicine,
agriculture and other fields. These may include new medical treatments and
vaccines, new industrial products,and improved fibres and fuels. Proponents of
the technology argue that biotechnology has the potential to increase food
security, decrease pressure on land use, enable sustainable yield increase in
marginal lands or inhospitable environments and reduce the use of water and
agrochemicals in agriculture.
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What are some potential risks of biotechnolo-gy?
Biotechnology is a very new field and not much is known about the interaction of
GMOs with various ecosystems.Some of the concerns about this new technology
include its potential adverse effects on biological diversity,and potential
risks to human health.Other likely areas of concern are unintended chnages in
the survival ability, virulence, or other characteristics of the target
species;the possibility of adverse impacts on non-target species (such as
beneficial insects)and ecosystems; the potential for weediness in genetically
engineered crops (where a part of the plant becomes more weedy than the
original,perhaps by transfering its genes to wild relatives); and the stability
of inserte dgenes (the possibilities that a gene will lose its effectiveness or
will be re-transferred to another host)or that the gene will produce unintended
toxins and allergens.
Why do we need an international biosafety agreement?
While advances in biotechnology may have potential for improvements in human
well-being,they must be developed and used with adequate safety measures for the
environment and human health especially since many adverse effects are already
know.
Biosafety is related to several fields: ecology, agriculture, medicine,
chemistry, exobiology, and spcialisations thereof. The international Biosafety
Protocol deals primarily with the agricultural definition but many advocacy
groups seek to expand it to include post-genetic threats: new
molecules,artificial life forms,and even robots which may compete directly in
the natural food chain.
What is the exact name of the Biosafety Protocol?
The
full name of the Biosafety Protocol is “The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to
the Convention on Biological Diversity ”.Cartagena is the name of city in
Colombia where the Biosafety Protocol was originally scheduled to be concluded
and adopted in February 1999. However,due to a numbe rof outstanding issues,
the Protocol was finalised and adopted a year later on Jnauary 29,2000,in
Montreal,
Canada.
When does the Biosafety Protocol enter into force?
The
Biosafety Protocol came into force on September 11,2003.However,the Indian
government has not yet taken any meaningful steps to comply with the protocol.
The public is denied access to information and remains excluded from all forms
of decision-making.
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