Research conducted by the British government recently found contamination with a form of tuberculosis bacterium in about 10% of samples of milk. And these results came after the dairy industry began advising milk producers to add an additional 10 to 15 seconds to the "flash" pastuerization process. To summarize:

• A comprehensive investigation on milk hygiene, led by the new Food Standards Agency in the UK, is currently underway and these findings were part of this much wider investigation into disease-causing agents in milk.

• The bacterium, mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), does not cause tuberculosis in humans, but there is growing evidence linking it to Crohn's disease

• Crohn's disease is a debilitating digestive illness which affects an estimated 100,000 people in the UK and is increasingly common.

• It can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, and serious weight loss.

• Some Crohn's sufferers have to undergo surgery to remove damaged sections of gut.

John Hermon-Taylor, professor of surgery at St George's medical school in London, is an expert on this subject. According to him "There is no doubt that there is a link." He stresses that "This bacterium does cause Crohn's disease in genetically susceptible people."

A National Dairy Council spokesman said: "It is right to investigate the issue and the British dairy industry has co-operated fully with the current survey."

The Sunday Times of London, August 6, 2000.