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Bovine growth hormone is a drug injected into dairy cows to increase milk production.

June 15, 1999
Web posted at: 4:31 p.m. EDT (2031 GMT)

From Food & Health Correspondent Linda Ciampa

(CNN) -- Several consumer groups are planning to go to court in an effort to force the Food and Drug Administration to take bovine growth hormone off the market.

BGH is a genetically engineered drug injected into cows to increase milk production by as much as 15 percent. The FDA approved the drug in 1993, but some say there is new reason to worry about its safety.

"There's no question that we cannot say categorically BGH is safe for humans," said Andrew Kimbrell of the consumer group, Center for Food Safety.

The FDA says it respond to the consumer groups' request on July 20.

In Europe, there is a moratorium on selling BGH. Scientists want to know whether cows treated with BGH produce high levels of insulin growth factor 1, a protein some researchers have linked to breast and prostate cancer.

The drug's maker, Monsanto, says the product is safe and milk from BGH cows is exactly the same as milk from other dairy cows.

"To date, every credible scientific panel that has reviewed the human safety data has concluded there isn't a risk to humans," said Dr. Wayne Calloway, a Monsanto consultant.

Canadian scientists recently reviewed a 1988 Monsanto study and concluded some rats fed high doses of BGH developed thyroid cysts and prostate problems. However, the FDA reviewed the same study and said BGH is safe for humans.

The Canadian government agreed but still banned the sale of the hormone, saying it created an unacceptable risk to cows.

There are no federal requirements for labeling products from BGH-treated cows.

"The lights have been turned out in the supermarket," said Wendy Gordon of Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet.

The few products on the market certified BGH-free can be difficult to find and more expensive.