-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 4:48 PM > > Please copy and distribute to other interested individuals and groups > > ********** > > The Nov. 2000 issue of Acres USA carried the following note on rBGH-treated > milk (see: http://www.acresusa.com ) > > Journalists Win in Fox TV/Monsanto Scandal > > Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, two award-winning journalists fired by the Fox > TV network in 1998 after producing a hard-hitting TV series on Monsanto's > controversial reconbinant Bovine Growth Hormone, won a resounding victory > in Tampa, Florida, recently when a jury awarded Akre $425,000 in damages > from her former employer. A state court jury found that Fox Television > pressured the husband and wife investigative team to broadcast a false, > distorted and slanted news report. In the process of the trial, evidence > indicated that Fox bowed to pressure from Monsanto to kill the original > four-part series produced by Akre and Wilson. Although rBGH is regularly > injected into 5 to 10 percent of US dairy cows, it is banned in Canada, > Europe, Japan, and other industrialzed nations. Scientists have warned > that milk and dairy products from rBGH-injected cows will likely contain > more pus, bacteria and antibiotic residues than regular milk, and even more > alarming, will contain significantly higher levels of a potent cancer tumor > promoter, called IGF-1. > > Also in the same issue of ACRES, a letter to the editor discussing how John > Stossel of ABC News 20/20 program has been taking "legal bribes" from > agri-biz corporations and conservative think-tanks, as apparent pay-back > for a long list of stories advocating corporate de-regulation, across the > board. In particular, evidence is presented on how Stossel produced a > series of stories which claim to show that there is no difference between > organic food products and those commercially grown with all the pesticides, > hormones, modified genes, etc. Or worse, stories which claim organic foods > were actually *more toxic* and even *poisoned to deadly levels with e-coli* > as compared to non-organic foods. Turns out, Stossel fabricated the data > -- no "tests" were run, and he simply lied -- and was subsequently > "reprimanded" by ABC, but not fired. Another producer at ABC was fired in > his place, as a fall-guy. Stossel's lying and bribe-taking was exposed by > Brendan DeMelle of the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) and by Ted > Rose of Brill's Content > http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/givemeafake/home.html > http://www.brillscontent.com/2000mar/features/stossel.shtml > By his own admission, he received more than a cool quarter-million in cash > from a series of "lectures" given to conservative think-tank organizations > and agri-biz interests. > Also see: > http://www.fair.org/activism/stossel-organics.html > http://www.fair.org/media-outlets/stossel.html. > > The ABC news organizations and journalists like to portray themselves as > honest and genuine journalists, but the lying and fakery by Stossel, > designed to destroy the organic foods industry as payback for "legal" > bribe-money he received, was given a tacit nod of approval by ABC high-ups, > such as chairman David Westin. Stossel was given a slap on the wrist, and > then sent back to continue his "work" for ABC. Kind of reminds one of the > feudal French Court of old -- "Complaints from the peasants outside the > castle should'nt be taken too seriously. Find someone and flog them to > appease the mob, and then open a fresh bottle of Champagne!" > > > ++++++++++ > > Hi, > As if 80 million unnecessary and dangerous antibiotic scripts a year weren't > enough of a problem..... > > Take care, > Michael Ellner > > FYI: > > >>From Healthmall.com 1/05/01 > > Researchers Cite Link Between Sub-Therapeutic Antibiotic Dosing in Livestock > and Resistance in Humans > A University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, law professor and a graduate student > in biochemistry call for regulation of the use of millions of tons of > antibiotics in livestock, citing their contribution to the growing problem of > antibiotic resistant infections that plague humans. > Carol Goforth, Clayton N. Little Professor of Law, and Robyn Goforth, a > biochemistry graduate student, present their findings in a paper titled > "Appropriate regulation of antibiotics in livestock feed" in the Boston > College Environmental Affairs Law Review. > The Goforths cited a growing body of scientific literature that links > sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics in livestock to mutated, > antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and then to outbreaks of antibiotic resistant > infections in humans. > "Once you get the pool of resistance out there it's difficult to stop its > spread," Robyn Goforth said. > Farmers feed animals sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to prevent diseases > in crowded conditions and to promote animal growth. Theoretically, the an > tibiotics will kill disease-causing bacteria that the animals harbor. > However, bacteria often contain slight mutations in their genetic make-up > that allow them to escape death. These bacteria, resistant to the antibiotic, > can then multiply and can quickly become the dominant strain. One Escherichia > coli bacterium, for instance, can produce more than a million progeny in > seven hours - a quickly growing problem if an antibiotic resistant organism > infects a person. > Just because a bacteria strain only infects chickens doesn't mean antibiotic > resistance will remain within the chicken population. Resistance can spread > from bacteria that infect livestock to those that infect humans. > "Bacteria are amazing in their ability to pass resistance to other species of > bacteria," Robyn Goforth said. These tiny organisms often contain small > pieces of DNA, called plasmids, that they can transfer to other bacteria, > with resistance mutations embedded within the plasmid's genetic code. > Many drugs used to treat humans also end up in livestock feed; amoxicillin, > ampicillin, erythromycin, neomycin, penicillin, and tetracycline are among > the most common drugs used for treating both people and farm animals. > Although many scientists have written articles on the problem of antibiotic > resistance in humans and its possible link to antibiotic use in livestock > feed, the legal profession has remained relatively silent on the issue, Carol > Goforth said. > "Addressing this subject requires the evaluation of lots of scientific data. > That may be why there's nothing in the legal literature," she said. > The researchers make four recommendations: > > * No new antibiotics should be approved for agricultural use unless the > drug sponsor can provide convincing evidence that the use of the drug in this > manner presents no appreciable risk to human health. > * Sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in farm animals should be phased out > as rapidly as possible, unless the drug sponsor can provide convincing > evidence that the use of the antibiotic in question presents no appreciable > risk to human health. > * Agricultural use of antibiotics should be limited to short-term use under > the care of a licensed veterinarian unless the drug sponsor can show that the > antibiotic in question is not used in human populations, is not medically > related to such drugs, and does not select for multi-drug resistance in > bacteria. > * Information about alternatives to the use of antibiotics to maintain > livestock health and growth rates should be developed and disseminated among > the agricultural and veterinary community. > > "This puts the burden of proof on the drug companies to show that the use of > antibiotics in agriculture will not cause harm in humans," Carol Goforth > said. > > > ********** <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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