International Ban
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned Boldenone in
meat, poultry and seafood since January 2015.
Thirty-four years before that, the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) banned the use of growth-stimulating hormones in fattening farm
animals within EU member states.
The EU decision, No. 602/81, detailed the risks to human health posed
by hormone residues in beef and meat products, as shown by the
findings of studies carried out by the Scientific Committee on
Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health (SCVPH) in late July
1981.
This independent scientific advisory body concluded in
1999 – based on the findings of 17 empirical studies – that growth
hormones caused an increase in the rate of chronic diseases in humans,
especially sexual and immune illnesses. It found that one of these
hormones is a carcinogenic substance that increases the chances of
developing breast cancer as a result of consuming hormone-rich meats.
The hormones remain in the meat even if the breeder abides
by the withdrawal period, says Nabil Yassin, former head of the
Department of Food Health Control at Cairo University. These residues
are dangerous as they cause many diseases, mainly hormone disorders
and cancers, he says, citing international scientific studies and
research.
The effective substance in Boldenone has a negative effect on kidneys,
the liver and blood in calves, according to a study prepared by Ahmad
Nematullah, a researcher in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
Al-Zagazig University.
According to the study, a big increase in HB and PCV in blood tests
leads to an increase in the blood activity, causing a defect in its
natural characteristics; this makes the body more susceptible to
suffering blood and heart diseases. Nabil Yasin sees that a decrease
in leukocytes, which are a type of white blood cells, increases the
risk of infection, especially when eating large amounts of
hormone-rich meat for a long time.
Domestically, if there is a change in the color, taste or smell of
meat due to a disease or nutritional condition, the carcass should be
destroyed, in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 517 of 1986.
Studies have shown a change in the essential qualities of meat due to
hormone injections. “The use of hormones in raising cattle makes
domestic meat less safe than imported meat,” says Yassin, the former
head of the Department of Food Supervision at the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine.