Nexus - 0804 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Narration 2: Thurman Hatten is one of many Florida dairy- Cancer warnings from "experts" with dubious men reluctant to admit that they're injecting their cows every two _—_ qualifications have left viewers sceptical of all such claims. It weeks... is important for that reason, as well as for proof of responsible Hatten: ...it's possible I could be using it. documentation, that viewers understand Dr Samuel Epstein's Narration 3: The drug some Florida farmers don't want you to —_— background and qualifications to reach such conclusions as he know they're using is a Monsanto voices in the report. But despite Laboratory version of bovine growth his three medical degrees, a hormone, known as BGH. Here's professorship of Occupational how it works: when the cow gets and Environmental Medicine at injected with extra BGH, it stimu- the University of Illinois School of lates the production of another hor- Public Health, his frequent mone called IGF-1. That's really the congressional testimony as an stuff that speeds up the cow's metab- expert on public health and olism, causing her to produce up to environmental causes of cancer, 30% more milk. But some scientists his authorship of eight books and like Dr Samuel Epstein are warning countless editorials appearing in that what might be good for the farm- some of America's leading ers' bottom line might be big trouble newspapers, reporters were down the line for people drinking the repeatedly blocked from milk from treated cows. describing him more completely. Dr Samuel Epstein, Scientist, Original references to him as a University of Illinois: ...there are "reputable scientist(s)" which was highly suggestive if not persuasive acceptable in Versions 1-3, was lines of evidence showing that later changed to "respected scien- consumption of this milk poses risks tist(s)"" which was acceptable in of breast and colon cancer. Version 11, and then "well-cre- Reporters were instructed not to Jane Akre, speaking at a genetic engineering conference dentialed MD", which was okay include information that details the in St Louis, USA. (Photo: Nic Paget-Clarke) in Versions 10-18 until, ultimate- basis for this frightening claim, leaving viewers unable to ly, reporters were told no such reference was acceptable, mak - meaningfully understand it out of context and likely to just ing him sound like a run-of-the-mill academic with no specific shrug it off as another unfounded "cancer scare" with no or relevant expertise. legitimate scientific basis whatsoever. Reporters have located and confirmed more than a dozen The artificial hormone works by independent studies of the artifi- increasing the cow's natural pro- cial hormone, published duction of insulin-like growth fac- post-FDA approval. These raise tor (IGF-1). This is what "revs legitimate concerns about the risk up" the cow, causing her mamma- of cancer to adults and children ry glands to produce more milk. who drink milk from cows inject- The basis of Dr Epstein's con- ed with BGH. Nonetheless, cern—and that of others around reporters were first instructed to the world—is that studies have mischaracterise the available shown that injecting cows with research simply as "publicly synthetic BGH causes an increase available at the time of approval". in IGF-1 levels found in the cow's When reporters demonstrated milk. This is cause for concern how that mandated language was because a growing body of evi- inaccurate, they were instructed dence points to IGF-1 as a poten- to call it "a body of peer-reviewed tial cancer promoter known to research". This is also inaccurate cause cell proliferation and tumour and deliberately misleads the growth, particularly in the human viewer by presenting a distorted colon and breast. picture that fails to report more accurately and fully that many of the troubling findings are from recent research, and that the evi- Narration 4: Dr Epstein is a sci- entist at the University of Illinois Steve Wilson addressing the School of Public Health. He's earned (Photo: Nic Paget-Clarke) dence of a cancer link appears to three medical degrees, written eight be growing more clear. books and is frequently called upon to advise Congress about Monsanto, on the other hand, contends the latest research things in our environment which may cause cancer. confirms the overall safety of its synthetic hormone. In fact, Reporters were repeatedly instructed to remove informa- the research Monsanto most frequently refers to is a study of tion that more completely details Dr Epstein's widely the synthetic hormone's effects on BGH-treated cows moni- acknowledged expertise. The deliberate omission of those tored by Monsanto, not people who drink the cows' milk. known facts minimises the credibility of this BGH critic and —_ Reporters were not allowed to make this fact clear in the thereby slants the story in favour of the product. report. 22 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2001 www.nexusmagazine.com