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THE 1973 US DES BAN. "Several reports confirm that DES endangers the health of animals and man, when repeatedly used in large doses. However, as regards risks due to the presence of residues in meat produced according to regulations, no documented deleterious effects have ever been reported in man." One position statement. http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/x6533e/x6533e01.htm View in LinkedIn

THE DES DEBACLE. "Beginning in the mid-1950s, DES (diethylstilboestrol) and hexoestrol were administered to cattle increasingly in the US and the UK respectively, either as feed additives or as implants, and other types of substances also gradually became available. In general, such treatment has resulted in 10–15% increases in daily gains." http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/x6533e/x6533e01.htm View in LinkedIn

DES WITHDRAWN. "From about 1940 to 1971, DES was given to pregnant women in the mistaken belief it would reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and losses. In 1971, DES was shown to cause a rare vaginal tumor in girls and women who had been exposed to this drug in utero." The FDA withdrew DES from use in pregnant women. http://lnkd.in/dGiQjwi View in LinkedIn

WHAT IS DES? "Diethylstilbestrol (DES, former BAN stilboestrol) is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that was first synthesized in 1938. It is also classified as an endocrine disruptor. Human exposure to DES occurred through diverse sources, such as dietary ingestion from supplemented cattle feed and medical treatment for certain conditions, including breast and prostate cancers." http://lnkd.in/dGiQjwi View in LinkedIn

HORMONES AS MEAT GROWTH ENHANCERS. "Since the 1950s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of steroid hormone drugs for use in beef cattle and sheep, including natural ... and their synthetic versions. These drugs increase the animals’ growth rate, the efficiency ... and the leanness of their meat." http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm055436.htm View in LinkedIn

HORMONE GROWTH ENHANCERS can be either natural or synthetic hormones. Proponents have argued that there are no adverse effects from such molecules or their synthetic mimetics. A synthetic version of a hormone was thought to behave identically to the natural molecule. Unfortunately, this is not as simple as it sounds. View in LinkedIn

RACTOPAMINE RESIDUE LIMITS. "In the USA, ractopamine is allowed to be used at a feed concentration of 5–20 mg/kg feed for finishing pigs and in dosages of 5–10 mg/kg feed for finishing pigs heavier than 109 kg. In Canada, ractopamine is allowed in meal or pellet feed for finishing barrows, gilts, beef cattle and heavy turkeys only. The maximum residues limit of ractopamine is 50 and 10 ppb in the USA and Japan, respectively." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ractopamine View in LinkedIn

REGULATORS DISAGREE ON RACTOPAMINE. "Russia and China have both banned ractopamine in beef, deeming it unfit for human consumption. Twenty-seven other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States, have determined that meat from animals fed ractopamine is safe for human consumption." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ractopamine View in LinkedIn

A REPEAT ON THE RACTOPAMINE NUMBERS: 60-80% of pigs, 30% of cattle, and an unknown % of turkeys, are fed Ractopamine. The non-arsenic drug that induces weight gain in the US. Just in case you missed this astonishing fact. http://lnkd.in/dQReGiz View in LinkedIn

"RACTOPAMINE is banned in 160 countries ... If imported meat is found to contain traces of the drug, it is turned away, while fines and imprisonment result for its use in banned countries. Yet, in the United States an estimated 60-80 percent of pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys are pumped full of this drug in the days leading up to slaughter ..." (2013). http://lnkd.in/dQReGiz View in LinkedIn