Because GE crops require less chemical pesticide, fewer farmers and their families risk being poisoned by runoff into waterways and ground water.

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So, for example, chemical pesticide or pollen from genetically engineered plants wafting onto an organic crop from an adjacent field does not cause the harvest to lose its organic status.

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Chemical companies and pesticide manufacturers have been lobbying just as hard - they argue that the science is inconclusive, and that a ban would harm food production.

BBC: Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides

There are also factors that increase the risk of autism, Halliday says, including infections early in pregnancy, premature birth, and pesticide and chemical exposure.

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On chemical treatments, for 1997, pesticide treatment was about the same for pest resistant and conventional corn.

BBC: News | Sci/Tech | US farmers fear GM crop fallout

Although such genetic engineering is essentially an extension, or refinement, of techniques that have been around for centuries, it has led to less use of chemical pesticides, a drop in pesticide poisoning of farmers and their families, more environment-friendly agronomic practices and greater profits for farmers.

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The Biosensor works by incorporating antibodies to the specific chemical (drug, hormone, viral protein or pesticide, for example) that it has been designed to detect.

ECONOMIST: Medical diagnostics