Awake

Got rBGH?

Quote of the day:

It's curious how many free-market evangelists so quickly turn to state intervention when it suits their competitive advantage. —David Batstone

Biochemical giant Monsanto is suing Maine-based Oakhurst dairy in order to force the company to remove a label it places on its milk carton stating, "Our Farmer's Pledge: No Artificial Growth Hormones."

As far as I can tell, Monsanto's main gripe can be summarized as follows: "Shame on you, mom and pop business, for using the truth to your competitive advantage. We'll take our whiny, corporate-giant, free-market claim to the courts, thank you very much. We would much prefer if you would leave your customers guessing. (Plus, we need to make a LOT more money if we're ever going to be able to pay off the settlements of all those baritone 10-year-olds and cancerous plaintiffs who will come our way in 15 years when our 'promises of safety' fall through the cracks."

While the truth about the positive or negative effects of hormone enhanced dairy products remain to be seen, one interesting fact certainly grabs my attention: although the hormone is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is banned in all 15 countries of the European Union as well as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. (Barstone)

Suspicions about the hormone seem to revolve around the possibility of early puberty in children, and links to colon and breast cancer. Doesn't sound too promising. The positive effects are supposed to be increased production of milk by cows. Mmm. Let me think about this one... Breast cancer vs. Niagra-Cow. Tough choice.

I leave you with this little lesson from history, quoted from Legal Opinion on Monsanto Lawsuit Against Oakhurst Dairy:

Given government and industry's poor record of protecting consumers from unsafe products, exercising the precautionary principle is a reasonable personal choice. Apparently safe products have been proven — over time, and upon further scientific study — to be exceedingly dangerous.

The classic example is asbestos, the "magic" heat resistant component once used in countless products. The long latency period of the lung diseases that resulted from asbestos exposure hid the true dangers of the product from generations of consumers and workers.

Another example is the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), once thought to be safe and effective for preventing miscarriages. DES came into use in 1947. It was not banned until 1971, after it had been shown to cause severe birth defects in the granddaughters of the mothers who originally ingested the drug.

Part of the explanation for these tragic cases, is that products can be approved for consumer use long before the long-term health effects are known.

And finally, I'll really couldn't sleep tonight without waving my tiny banner of activism. I urge you to take action. (Thanks, Sojourners. You guys rock.)