Last week, raids by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Varanasi resulted in the seizure of milk adulterated with baking soda and water. Fifty cases have so far been filed against adulteration of milk in the past three years in Varanasi.

Milk adulteration is not confined to Varanasi alone. While more and more people in the West are turning away from drinking milk, the demand for milk is rising in India. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Orga­nisation, in 2005, the world consumed 530,351,770 tonnes of milk, India 75,270,950 tonnes, Pakistan 23,935,320 tonnes and Bangladesh 2,307,590 tonnes.

To meet the rising need for milk in India, adulteration is on the rise. The most common adulterants are detergent, urea, sewage water, liquid soap and in some cases even earthworms. Earthworms excrete slime which increases the density of milk. The Indian Council of Medical Research conducted a seven-year study on milk samples from across the country.

They found large amounts of DDT, arsenic, cadmium, lead and even poisonous pesticides called HCH in the random samples tested. Under the Food Adulteration Act, only 0.01mg/kg of HCH is allowed in milk, but the study found an average of 5.7mg/kg.

Most Indian cow sheds do not have proper drainage system. Filth from animals often sits in open drains to which flies are attracted. Buckets and vessels in which milk is collected are filthy since they are only superficially rinsed, and flies can be seen settling on all surfaces. This milk is sold to consumers. The waste from cow sheds pollutes the surrounding areas, putting humans at risk of falling sick. A study by the Consumer Guidance Society of India has found high quantities of several contaminants in milk supplies, including antibiotics, aflatoxins, pesticide residues, pus, bacteria, and chemicals such as sodium carbonate and urea.

Milk’s main selling point is calcium. Almost every parent insists that their children have a glass of milk every day. Doctors prescribe a daily intake of milk for menopausal women so as to avoid osteoporosis. When babies are weaned off breast milk, they are fed dairy milk. However, research shows that dairy products have little or no benefit on bones.

Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that drinking milk puts humans at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and certain forms of cancer and diabetes, among other ailments. The cholesterol and saturated fat in dairy products tend to raise blood cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of artery blockages. The fat in dairy products can also cause obesity and contribute to

soaring rates of adult-onset type

2 diabetes.

The Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard University, which followed more than 72,000 women for 18 years, showed that women who

consumed two or more glasses of milk per day had no protection

whatsoever from bone breaks compared with women who consumed

little to no milk.

A UK study showed that people who suffered from irregular heartbeats, asthma, headaches, fatigue and digestive problems “showed marked and often complete improvements in their health after cutting milk from their diets”.

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, prostate and breast cancers have been linked to consumption of dairy products, presumably related to increases in a compound called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). This is found in cow’s milk and has been shown to occur in increased levels in the blood of individuals

consuming dairy products on

a regular basis. Other nutrients

that increase IGF-I are also found

in cow’s milk.

In a study in Sweden, consumption of lactose and dairy products was positively linked to ovarian cancer. An Iowa Women’s Health Study found that women who consumed more than one glass of milk per day had a 73 per cent greater chance of ovarian cancer than women who drank less than one glass per day.

According to a report by Dr SP Parashar, president, DAV Research Society for Health, which was based on a survey conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi, 82 per cent of cattle breeders are using Oxytocin (a schedule H drug whose usage is banned under section 12 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 as well as under the Foods and Drug Adulteration Prevention Act, 1960, and which is used to increase milk production by dairy owners) injections in the capital; 62-68 per cent are using them in adjoining areas of Delhi, including Sonepat, Rohtak, Faridabad, Gohana, Bahadurgarh, Loni, Ghaziabad, Hapur and Buland Shahr; and 23-32 per cent are using them in remote areas of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Cows often get mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary glands, as a result of constant milking. Treatment for this include antibiotics. In many samples of milk and other dairy products, antibiotic traces have occasionally been found.

At a news conference in Mumbai, Dr Shobha Raul, chair of the Child and Welfare Committee, reported that most cattle in the city are afflicted with tuberculosis (TB), which contaminates the milk consumed by lakhs of Mumbaikars. Dr Raul stated that “bovines in Mumbai suffer from intestinal TB, which occurs if they come into contact with droplets infected with the pathogen tubercular bacilli. Most owners do not provide regular cattle-feed and the animals are generally left to roam the streets in search of food.”

Children are at even greater risk. Colic, food allergies, anemia, type 1 diabetes and asthma have all been linked to cow’s milk and buffalo’s milk. A 2001 Finnish study of 3,000 infants with genetically increased risk of developing diabetes showed that early introduction of cow’s milk increased susceptibility to type 1 diabetes.

A 1994, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) review pointed out that at least 90 studies had examined the link between cow’s milk and type 1 diabetes. The AAP concluded that avoiding early exposure to cow’s milk proteins may reduce the risk of this deadly disease. The AAP also recommends that infants below one year should not be given whole cow’s milk as iron deficiency is more likely on a dairy-rich diet. Breastfeeding mothers can have colicky babies if mothers consume cow’s milk. The cow’s antibodies can pass through the mother’s bloodstream, into her breast milk, and to the baby.

The seventh edition of Dr Benjamin Spock’s book Baby and Child Care, advises parents to provide an all-plant or vegan diet to children after age two. This book has remained on the bestseller list from 1946 when it was first published. A 2005 review published in Pediatrics journal showed that milk consumption does not improve bone integrity in children.

Research shows that 25 per cent of north Indians and 70 per cent of south Indians are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolise lactose, because of a lack of the required enzyme, lactase, in the digestive system which digests milk sugar. Nursing children have active enzymes that break down this sugar. As we age, many of us lose much of this capacity.

In May last year, Mike Tyson announced that the secret behind his leaner and trimmer figure was that he had turned vegan by avoiding animal products. In March, American Idol winner Ruben Studdard revealed how he lost 100 pounds by first turning vegetarian and then going vegan. And celebrity trainer Bob Harper, of ‘Who’s the Biggest Loser’ fame, promotes veganism as a healthy way to live. Closer home, fitness guru and trainer to Miss India contestants, Micky Mehta, believes that the best diet to stay fit is the vegan diet.

The writer is an environmentalist and former head of Peta, India