The Idiot Cycle

Consumers are being exposed to synthetic chemicals and genetically modified foodstuffs despite insufficient knowledge of the associated health risks. links this exposure to the increasing number of cancer cases. In the Canada and United States of the 1970s, safety came first and products went through extensive preliminary testing. Nowadays, this step is often skipped. According to members of fact-finding committees, in a few cases negative results have even been kept secret or manipulated. Meanwhile, the producers of these chemicals and genetically modified foodstuffs (Dow Chemical, BASF, Monsanto, etc.) are also developing drugs for treating cancer, which provide them with huge profits. Are these facts related? And are consumers being used as guinea pigs? Director Emmanuelle Schick approaches the subject from a personal perspective -- her mother has just been operated on for breast cancer. She highlights various aspects of the problem and invites numerous experts to discuss the issues. Where necessary, animations are used to clarify the sometimes complex subject matter. The picture that emerges is one of a conscious drive to make money at the expense of the environment and people's health. Furthermore, cancer research focuses more on developing new drugs than looking for potential causes.