Monsanto Has Been Removed And Banned By:

[HAL9000]

I'm not one to abhor GM crops, I just wonder if the methods they use to alter DNA directly might cause health problems down the road.

Altering DNA would only cause health problems in a very specific and small way. Such as putting a peanut gene in cotton, the cotton may exhibit some of the peanut proteins and cause allergic reactions. However this can be tested for extremely easily.

Most of the times DNA is not changed substantially nor is 'new' DNA inserted into an organism. An already existing gene coding for a specific function is simply duplicated to produce more of that trait. For example if a gene is found that makes vibrantly red tomatos then it may be duplicated so the tomato becomes redder. Or if there is a gene that signals the rotting process, that gene is turned off (which can be done by changing a single base pair), creating a plant which takes a long time before it begins the rotting process.

And if DNA was changed randomly, the DNA itself would not be harmful. DNA when ingested gets broken down in the stomach like all other matter, it does not go somewhere special.