210 Chapter 9
meanscoreof carcinogenicity,” approximatelydoublethe numberof AACRresearchers
“as environmentalistsratedAlarand nuclearpoweras minorcarcinogens;threetimesas
manyresearchersregardedfoodadditivesand dioxinas minorthreats;and a whopping
seventeentimesas manycancerspecialistsas environmentalleaders(by thirty-fourto
two percent)saw pollutionas a minorcontributorto cancerrates.”
Perversely,of the newsitemsin RothmanandLichter’s mediasurvey,therewasa
greaterfocuson manmadechemicalsandindustrializationas beingthe majorcausesof
cancer,ratherthanthe far-greatercancerrisks(suchas low-fiberdiets).Of the 1,206news
stories,498 (41 percent)focusedon man-madechemicals,whereasa significantlysmaller
292 (24 percent)wereon tobacco.Whereaspollutionreceived222 stories(18 percent)and
syntheticpesticides194 (16 percent),the muchgreatercancerrisksof dietarychoices,
alcohol,lifestyle,andaging,respectively,received136 stories(12 percent),79 stories(7
percent),70 (6 percent),and 9 (1 percent).^53 Indeed,to the extentthat reliableresultscome
fromtestingthe toxicityof varioussubstanceson lab rodents,it has beenestablishedthat
the riskof consumingmicroscopicpesticideparticleson foodsis muchlowerthanis
exposureto ordinaryfoodsanddrinks.Drinkinga singleliterof waterholdstwicethe
cancerriskof pesticideparticles,a singlepeanutbuttersandwichis 60 timesas deadly,
eatinga singleraw mushroomis 200 timesriskier,two slicesof breadare 800 timesworse,
and guzzling12 ouncesof beerboasts5,600timesthe cancerrisk.^54 The chemicalpesticide
DDT,whichthe EnvironmentalProtectionAgencybannedfor U.S.use in 1970,is less
carcinogenicthanthe naturalpesticidesfoundin organicvegetables.^55
InThe Corporationand in othermedia,SamuelEpsteinpromulgatesstill otherhorrify-
ing charges.He specificallychargesthatagribusinesses’ injectionsof its milk-producing
cowswithgeneticallyengineeredgrowthhormones(called“bovinesomatotropin,” or
BSTsfor short^56 ) has precipitatedan increasein theirlevelsof the hormoneIGF-1,some
of whichmightget in theirmilk.Epsteinarguesthatthis practicehas drivena rise in the
incidenceof prostatecancerin menwhohaveconsumedthis milk.^57 But rigoroustesting
reflectsthatcowsreceivingthe BSTsupplementdo not havehigherBSTlevelsin their
milkthando cowsthatdo not receiveit.^58 Andas the AmericanCouncilon Science&
Health(ACSH)clarifies,bothcowsand humansalreadyproduceIGF-1.Moreimportant-
ly, the “real questionsare: 1. whetheror not this IGF-1substantiallyincreasesthe concen-
trationof the hormonein milkand 2. whetheror not the hormonewouldbe absorbedin
sufficientamountsto raisebloodlevelsin humans.Andthe answer,in eachcaseis ‘No.’
Researchhas shownthat the concentrationof IGF-1in milkfromrBST-treatedcowsis not
elevatedoverthatin untreatedcows.Furthermore,evenif all the IGF-1presentin milk
wereabsorbedintoa person’s blood,thereis so muchnaturallytherethatthe additional
hormonewouldhardlybe detectable.”^59
ACSHprovidesa plethoraof quotationsfromfar morereliablesourcesaboutwhether
consumingmilkproducedby rBST-injectedcowswilllargelycontributeto the incidence
of prostatecancer.The AmericanCancerSocietyreports,“Thereare no validfindingsto
indicatea riskof humancarcinogenesis.” Likewise,the AmericanMedicalAssociation
states,“BSTis a proteinhormonethatis producednaturallyby cowsto helpthemmake
milk.Supplementingcowswithsmallamountsof BSThas beenshownto increasetheir
milkproductionby 10–40 percentper cowwithoutharmingthe animalor alteringthe
nutritionalvalueof theirmilk.” In theJournalof the AmericanMedicalAssociation, the
NationalInstitutesof Healthlet us know,“rBST-treatedcowsexperienceno greater
healthproblemsthanuntreatedcows.”^60 Additionally,Dr. JohnAusbergof the Food&
DrugAdministrationcertifiesthat BSTsare “100 percentsafe.”^61
Proctortakesit for grantedthatthe chemicalphobiaspropagatedby Epsteinandhis
alliesare fundamentallyrational.ThenProctorcreditsthe Nazisfor pioneeringin such
insightfulnessin relatedmatters.Recallthatwhenfarmersraisecrops,thosecropsmust