The use of the milk hormone rBGH has produced milk which has more cow blood serum protein in it. For certain human children this protein is that which has been found to enhance diabetes. The protein acts to cause the formation of antibodies which then attack the human pancreas. We discovered this risk after we had earlier found major discrepancies in the testing data covering many years of study.

In our presentation before the Senate of Canada investigative committee on Evidence In Agriculture we established the diabetes concerns with supporting data (4/26/99). The data on the increased serum protein can be found in Dairy Science, vol. 72 (no. 6) by Baer, et al., 1989. Also untested protein changes can be found in the Freedom of Information Documents released by FDA (cg Table 25 showing statistically significant protein quantities). The direct adverse effect of fragments of bovine growth hormone in humans was published by Sonenberg (J Metabolism, 14:1189. 1965). This finding was ignored by NIH and FDA reviews.

Of the Congressional people we contacted only Representative Klug's office acted to pursue the matter with FDA. We disclose today Representative Klug's letters to FDA which FDA tried to skirt and ignore.

They are as follows:

Dr. Michael Friedman
Lead Deputy Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857

May 30, 1997

Dear Dr. Friedman:

I am writing today on behalf of my constituent, Dr. William von Meyer, Ph.D. Fairview Industries, Inc. For your reference I have included a copy of our original correspondence of Oct 31, 1996. FDA Responded to our letter Feb 26, 1997 (note four months).

Dr. von Meyer has asked me to submit the enclosed additional material to you on the safety issues involving rBGH milk. Of particular interest and concern is the information provided on the relationship between rBGH and diabetes, especially in children. I would ask FDA to provide me with detailed information on the testing and research done in this area. (they had none)

Dr. von Meyer also submitted a list of specific questions to which he would like a response from the agency. ... I would ask that the agency provide succinct response to each of these questions, a number of which relate to the diabetes questions above. A response within thirty days would be appreciated ...

Sincerely,

Scott Klug
Member of Congress

Feb 18, 1998

Dear Ms. Thompson:

I write again etc etc ...

In our May 30, 1997, letter I asked FDA to answer a number of specific questions Dr. von Meyer posed on the safety of rBGH milk. While I appreciate the agency responding to me on October 31, and offering to share Dr. von Meyer's letter with JEFCA, your letter failed to answer in sufficient in detail Dr. von Meyer's questions as they relate to FDA. Since the agency had several months, we were hoping that the response would have been more extensive.

The following is a list of questions provided that he has asked me to pass along for a thorough response:

1) Is it true to say that no health testing of whole milk was done in the USA on milk from rBGH cows? (we mean health tests not chemical analyses)

2) rBGH increases bovine serum protein levels in treated cow including lacto-albumin. Is it true that several chemicals including pieces of lacto-albumins from milk have been implicated in the promotion of childhood diabetes through an antibody mechanism? Isn't it also true that mastitis bacteria are a potential source of the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase, an antigen associated with auto-immune diabetes in human?

3) The incubation period for diabetes in children is 8-11 years. How would you be certain that no testing of rBGH as a pure protein, no health testing of the whole milk, and only 14 days testing of pure IGF-I and no chronic testing of IGF-I as it occurs in rBGH milk is a safe procedure to protect our children from an unexpected immune reaction over a period of years ... ?

4) In rats treated orally with rBST (WHO Series 31), Dr. von Meyer quotes Dr. Miller of FDA as follows: "antibody titers were slightly higher than background levels in several of the orally treated rats, but these were not detected by RIA (radio immune assay) These data suggest that the immune system (insert, of children) has access to the antigenic portion of the rBGH."

Based on the formation of antibody to the orally delivered protein in a short period of time, why would you then terminate all chronic tests of milk derived from rBGH cows? Is not childhood diabetes an antigen promoted disease?

And does it not have an incubation period of several years while the child's immune system is developing a response?

5) Why would all diabetes references be omitted from public scrutiny in the NIH and Science 249:875 reviews of rBGH?

This is my third letter to FDA on Dr. von Meyer's concerns.

While I have never prejudged what the answers to Dr. von Meyer's questions should be, I do believe he is entitled to on-point and thorough responses to his questions. In addition to answering the above questions in a timely fashion, I would also appreciate an update from JEFCA as the previous information FDA submitted to the organization on Dr. von Meyer's behalf.

Sincerely,

Scott Klug
Member of Congress

Klug, in frustration and under continued pressure from our lab, went to FDA in June 1998 and demanded our lab interview FDA on 7/2/98. On that date we learned FDA placed the milk from rBGH cows on the market without any health data on the milk and no chronic diabetes data. No analyses were done of potential diabetes causing materials in rBGH milk. In fact no health data were collected on rBGH derived milk in the USA (If you disagree send us the data you can find). In 1965, Dr. Martin Sonenberg found fragments of BGH were active in enhancing diabetes in humans. Fairview Industries found reports on cow serum leakage into the milk in several experiments employing rBGH derivatives. These proteins have a history of increasing diabetes in children as defined by the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and government labs in Sweden. The European Union is thus fully justified in preventing use of rBGH and milk/cheese from entering Europe.

In 1998, a Compliance Officer of FDA under pressure of the Klug inquiry, Kim Bell, called Dr. von Meyer of Fairview Industries, Inc. and advised FDA lacked references on diabetes and milk proteins and asked for references. We sent those which were handy in the lab, but not all. 

Later using references we supplied which were dated between the date of approval of rBGH and the inquiry date, FDA excused their lark of testing of the milk by saying the references were after FDA approval of rBGH thus they were excusing their faulty review. They offered no action at all. The first diabetes reference on bovine growth hormone was in 1965 (J. Metabolism, 14:1189, Sonenberg), 20 years before Monsanto's petition. Naturally little action would be taken, the deputy director of FDA is the former office mate of the research director of Monsanto!

A federal inquiry into the testing of GM foods is urgently required, and specifically into the diabetes data, handling and personnel involved in rBGH milk. 70% of large dairies in Wisconsin use rBGH and the milk is now contacting everyone yet lacks any chronic health or diabetes data what-so-ever. This information was provided to the Senate of Canada by Dr. von Meyer 4/26/99. Their concerns were immediate, their actions were swift in favor of their people. Senator Eugene Whelen stated, "These data are not good enough for Canada!"

Monsanto refused to attend the 4/26/99 hearing on rBGH in Canada. Mute testimony to their fear of direct contact with Dr. Bill von Meyer. Dr. von Meyer is a scientist who conducts genetic and biological research. He has conducted millions of dollars of health studies on chemical residues found in foods and reviewed the toxicity profile of dozens of chemicals prior to their manufacture and development. Monsanto formerly used the statements by the American Medical Association on rBGH with Senators and Congress and against Dr. von Meyer's review. The public should know that the officials at the AMA who endorsed rBGH were subsequently fired for cause.

The senators in Canada who heard the data and blocked rBGH were not vying for campaign contributions from drug firms or milk price unionists who have encouraged hiding health data in the past in Wisconsin. Canadian senators are appointed until age 75. Many Canadian senators made outstanding contributions to Canada during their life to gain an appointment.

On Sept 7, 1994, Monsanto veterinarians traveled over 200 miles to disrupt a talk given by Dr Bill von Meyer to local farmers in a small town in Wisconsin. By 1995, Monsanto had previously interfered with programs intended by CBS and CNN. Years later similar events occurred with Fox news.

A federal hearing is now required on rBGH and testing GM foods. The probable diabetes effects are of prime concern. 

Fairview Industries, Inc.
2836 Jefferson Dr.
Blue Mounds, WI 53517

Telephone 608-437-6700

SOURCE: Fairview Industries, Inc.

ST: Wisconsin

RiskWorld links:

Fairview Industries Inc.

"Stepping in It" , by Brandon Copple, Forbes Magazine, 8/21/00.