The Wake

It seems as though we are bombarded in the media with issues that could and does affect our health: the bird flu that may or may not reach the United States, whether or not a poor college student should splurge for organic products, and if one ever drinks milk safely. All these topics are important, but are they worth losing sleep over? To acid rain on your parade, the truth is we probably have not seen the full effects of these problems. Our generation will have to deal with the problems brought on by those of previous generations.

While the bird flu’s impact is still to be determined, something we should be worried about right now are hormones in the water. This is because hormones are one of the only agents that cannot be filtered out of water. Dirt, chemicals, and other forms of waste are removed by filtration systems. Over time, hormones end up in soil (yep, even organic) and, more importantly, in our water. Not only does the thought of chugging them down seem unappetizing, but think of all the water used to make our food, specifically for meat and dairy products.

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a genetically engineered copy of a naturally occurring hormone produced by cows. Manufactured by Monsanto Company, the drug is sold to dairy farmers under the name POSILAC, though you’ll also find it called BGH, rBGH, BST and rBST. When this hormone is injected into dairy cows, milk production increases by as much as 10-15 percent. The use of rBGH on dairy cows was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in late 1993 and has been in use since 1994. While rBGH is banned in Europe and Canada, the United States still allows its use. It is not an over-simplification to suggest that the health of animals effects the health of the people that consume products produced by the animal. So how do growth hormones affect the health and well-being of cows? rBGH is like crack for cows. It revs their system and forces them to produce a lot more milk—but it also makes them sick. Even the FDA admits that cows injected with the hormone could suffer from increased udder infections (mastitis), severe reproductive problems, digestive disorders, foot and leg ailments and persistent sores and lacerations. If these hormones do such damage to cows, what are the long-term effects on people? Even those who are strictly vegan may not be able to avoid the effects because hormones cannot be filtered out of water.

What about other and voluntary consumption? Will the estrogen and progesterone hormones in birth control have an adverse effect on the future of fertility if they stay in our water? By no means am I saying that one should boycott birth control or lactose, but the next time you drink a glass of milk or pop a pill, remember that it may not be the last time you see it.