economy vs health (not political)

[craig r]

I was watching something tonight and it mentioned Oprah's (I think it was "I Love the 90's ") comment about mad cow disease. The clip showed some person in the meat industry saying that what she said is going to harm the meat industry and it's employees. My questions is not about whether mad cow disease is dangerous, etc..But, when she made this statement it wasn't really "known" whether mad cow disease is/isn't dangerous to humans, whether there were any mad cows left, etc..so why would the economy of this industry be the number one thing for someone to worry about? And it doesn't have to just be for the meat industry. This question could be posed for a lot of different industries; tobacco, dairy, drug, etc.. When is the health of people more important than an economy? At what point does someone (or organization) have to step in and say, "we/they might lose a lot of money, but that is not our primary concern?"

craig

[tek]

I have to finish blowing some asbestos insulation into my attic, then I will have time to answer you.

[eric5148]

[ QUOTE ]
At what point does someone (or organization) have to step in and say, "we/they might lose a lot of money, but that is not our primary concern?"

[/ QUOTE ]

This is ultimately your responsibility. I don't use tobacco, and I try to eat as little meat and dairy as possible.

[eric5148]

[ QUOTE ]
I have to finish blowing some asbestos insulation into my attic, then I will have time to answer you.

[/ QUOTE ]

At 5 AM? Sounds like a blast.

[craig r]

I don't use/eat any of those things at all either. But i guess i didn't phrase my question right. I guess, using the Oprah example, the meat industry was worried about profits and what not. But, how is that the most important thing. Isn't safety/health much more important? And obviously Oprah is not an expert on mad cow disease, but can we expect the experts to come from within the meat industry?

craig

[eric5148]

Read the book Food Politics by Marion Nestle. It's all about how the food industry and their lobbyists have a huge impact on the policies of the FDA, and a lot of other interesting sh!t about mass-marketed food.

I wouldn't expect food industry leaders to be any more responsible than, say car manufacturers or drug companies, and the quality of thier products certainly affects our health.