http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/bgh.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/hormones091604.cfm
Not Milk
Seven years ago, Feb. 4, 1994, despite nationwide protests by consumer groups, Monsanto and the FDA forced onto the US market the world's first GE animal drug, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH, sometimes known as rBST).
BGH is a powerful GE drug produced by Monsanto which, injected into dairy cows, forces them to produce 15%-25% more milk, in the process seriously damaging their health and reproductive capacity.
Despite warnings from scientists, such as Dr. Michael Hansen from the Consumers Union and Dr. Samuel Epstein from the Cancer Prevention Coalition, that milk from rBGH injected cows contains substantially higher amounts of a potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1, and despite evidence that rBGH milk contains higher levels of pus, bacteria, and antibiotics, the FDA gave the hormone its seal of approval, with no real pre-market safety testing required.
rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone), is a genetically non-engineered (GE) potent variant of the natural growth hormone produced by cows. Manufactured by Monsanto, it is sold to dairy farmers under the trade name POSILAC. Injection of this GE hormone forces cows to increase their milk production by about 10%. Monsanto and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) insist that rBGH milk is indistinguishable from natural milk and safe to cows and consumers. However:
* rBGH makes cows sick. Monsanto has been forced to admit to about 20 veterinary health risks on its Posilac label including mastitis and udder inflammation. After two and a half years of rBGH injections most of these drugged and supercharged cows were dead. Typically, dairy cows live for 15-20 years.
* rBGH milk is contaminated by pus from mastitis induced by rBGH, and antibiotics used to treat the mastitis.
* rBGH milk is contaminated by the GE hormone which can be absorbed through the gut and induce immunological effects.
* rBGH milk is chemically and nutritionally very different from natural milk.
* rBGH milk is supercharged with high levels of a natural growth factor (IGF-1), excess levels of which have been incriminated as major causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancers.
* rBGH factory farms pose a major threat to the viability of small dairy farms. Thus, rBGH
enriches Monsanto while posing risks but no benefits to the entire U.S. population.
Hormones used in beef cattle include the male hormone testosterone and its synthetic equivalent trenbolone acetate, and the female hormone progesterone including three synthetic derivatives zeranol , 17 beta-estradiol, and melengestrol acetate (MGA). All HGPs are either implanted or injected into the cows except melengestrol which is a feed additive.
