An accident waiting to happen: Tech company to release 750 MILLION GMO mosquitoes in Florida to fight dengue fever
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Z. Sky,
NEWSTARGET,
2020.
Mosquitoes spread many diseases, such as dengue and Zika virus. To prevent these deadly diseases, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allowed a UK-based tech company to conduct a nightmarish plan: The release of genetically modified (GMO) mosquitoes into Florida. Oxitec created a modified male mosquito with offspring that dies before hatching. Named OX5034, the GMO mosquito was designed as an alternative to insecticides. GMO mosquitoes to the rescue? Oxitec is allegedly a “pioneer in using genetic engineering to control insect pests that spread disease and damage crops.” It is a subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation that engineers biology to develop solutions for “some of the world’s biggest problems.” Meanwhile, Intrexon Corporation creates “biologically based products that improve the quality of life and the health of the planet.” Not fishy at all. Oxitec plans to release 750 million OX5034s into the Florida Keys, something that sounds like the beginning of a doomed science-fiction movie. But the most shocking thing here is the fact that Oxitec received the EPA’s approval in May.
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