Hawaii Sees Tenfold Increase In Birth Defects After Becoming GM Corn Testing Grounds
Hawaii Sees Tenfold Increase In Birth Defects After Becoming GM Corn Testing Grounds
By Jay SyrmopoulosDoctors are sounding the alarm after noticing a disturbing trend
happening in Waimea, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Over the past five
years, the number of severe heart malformations has risen to more than
ten times the national rate, according to an analysis by local physicians.
Pediatrician Carla Nelson, after seeing four of these defects in
three years, is extremely concerned with the severe health anomalies
manifesting in the local population.
Nelson, as well as a number of other local doctors, find themselves
at the center of a growing controversy about whether the substantial
increase in severe illness and birth defects in Waimea stem from the
main cash crop on four of the six islands, genetically modified corn,
which has been altered to resist pesticides.
Hawaii has historically been used as a testing ground for almost all
GMO corn grown in the United States. Over 90% of GMO corn grown in the
mainland U.S. was first developed in Hawaii, with the island of Kauai
having the largest area used.
