From: Irvin Cernauskas [irvin@alum.mit.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 2:38 PM
To: EXECSEC
Subject: non-therapeutic use of antibiotics

January 10, 2001

Irvin Cernauskas
712 Wisconsin Avenue
Oak Park, IL  60304


Jane E. Henney, M.D.
Commissioner
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville MD 20857-0001

Dear Ms. Henney:

I am writing to urge you to establish a federal antibiotic reporting system
to determine the quantity of antibiotics used in U.S. agriculture.

The science is quite clear concerning the risks to human health of the
current overuse of antibiotics.  Many dangerous diseases are rapidly
becoming untreatable due to the development of strains of bacteria that have
become resistant to antibiotics.

Lobbyists for corporate agribusiness support the use of antibiotics on
healthy animals with economic arguments.  It seems to me that use of
antibiotics to accelerate the growth of healthy farm animals benefits mainly
producers by increasing their profits.   Meanwhile the price of this
practice is paid by the general population in the form of reduced efficacy
of therapeutic uses of antibiotics, a price that is likely to more than
offset whatever small portion of cost savings are passed on to consumers.

The first step in addressing this serious issue is to measure the problem.
The pharmaceutical and agricultural special interests have withheld data on
antibiotic use, indicating that they have something to hide.  Only FDA
action can overcome this obstruction and begin to protect the public health.

Please let me know what steps you plan to take to address this need.

Very truly yours,

Irvin Cernauskas