More Facts about Paylean

Paylean: Drug in Conventionally Raised Meat Linked to Cancer and Heart Disease

Just some facts about what you're eating .. if you like BACON (or most other pork products)

The active ingredient in Paylean is ractopamine hydrochloride, a drug that belongs to the class of beta-adrenoceptor agonists. This class of drugs binds to beta-receptors on cardiac and smooth muscle tissues. Overall, the effect of beta-agonists is cardiac stimulation, including increased heart rate and systemic dilation of blood vessels. Some drugs of this class have been determined to be carcinogenic.

Short term animal studies have shown destabilization of heart rate, reduced testicular and uterine weight, and heart weight increase. Studies with rats have shown reduction in mean litter size and an increase in total number of fetal resorptions.

No long term studies have been conducted to determine the safety or the effects of ractopamine hydrochloride in humans, and no data exists relating to the long-term exposure of humans to the chemical. Since some beta-adrenoceptor agonists have been found to be carcinogenic, Dr. L. Ritter of the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs at Health and Welfare, Canada, has recommended studies of Paylean's genotoxicity and pharmacology, and surveys of all non-therapeutic effects that follow long term use of beta-adrenoceptor agonists in humans to assist in the prediction of the consequences from long term intake of residues of raptopamine by consumers of animal meat.

One hog producer whose family-owned farm produces 40,000 swine each year refuses to use Paylean for several reasons. He cannot get his arms around the idea that the USDA requires no clearing time for Paylean and yet people are warned not to touch it with bare hands or breathe it. "My scientific training says how can an animal be fed this drug and in just a few hours that animal is ready to eat. Obviously the USDA says Paylean is broken down before consumption, but we know it goes into the cells to form more muscle, so how can that be?"

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