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Science

Fear over GM plants and pesticides

June 2, 2014

Hawaii has become the world's largest genetic engineering testing ground for global seed producers. For several years, biotech companies such as Syngenta, Pioneer and Bayer Crop Science have been testing their latest breeds in the open air.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CAN9

California, the nearest mainland state, lies 4000 kilometers away. But in the eyes of many residents of Hawaii, some things are already going wrong. On the island of Kauai, massive resistance has arisen to the cultivation of GM test crops, more especially to the pesticide use involved. Many residents complain of health troubles because the wind blows pesticides from the nearby test fields into towns. Doctors have noticed a sharp increase in allergies and cases of cancer.