As I perused the articles in this weeks Clarion I came across an article that seems little more than a poorly written Fan-Script rejected by the X-files. Conspiracy theories concerning recombinant bovine growth hormones (rBGH), the dairy industry, and DU. Please!

I am overwhelmed and disgusted with the level of scientific ineptitude shown by the author. While I would never advocate the blind trust of government institution, crying “wolf” anytime something doesn’t fit with one’s own worldview is hardly being vigilant. At best it’s called paranoia.

First of all, if you plan to make an argument, make it. Look for current information and examine the studies that have been conducted. Are they valid? Why? What margins for error were allowed for? And so on…

Small farmers are being driven out of business…true. Dangers to cows…true. Both these claims line up with economic trends and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Joint Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) findings concerning the risk to cows.

And yet, I fail to find any valid research that shows the impending danger to humans. In fact, the studies that did suggest the possibility of danger would require a human weighing 22 kg (approx. 50 lbs) to drink 1.5 liters (approx 1.6 quarts) of milk with rBGH to approach the minimum amount to which rats were exposed in the lab (no significant effects were seen in this group). Now that’s a lot of milk drinking’ to land yourself in a safe study group. At 77 kg (170 lbs) I might drink a gallon a week and I believe I’m on the high end of the milk-intake spectrum.

So if you wish to drink only organic milk I applaud you. My roots remain on a small dairy farm in Nowheresville in the Midwest. Do it for the farmers. Do it for the cows. But save yourself the embarrassment of self-pride motivated by the blind acceptance of hearsay. Check out the studies yourself and make an informed choice BEFORE you join the brave, 60’s-nostalgic, protest against scientifically unproven dangers.

Michael Ryan BRINKMEIERDU student