# WV lawmakers suffer stomach illness after drinking raw milk to celebrate legalizing raw milk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437 "2016-03-09T18:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/121 "2016-03-13T02:30:57Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Compelled false speech violates the First Amendment. They can make Big Tobacco put “Smoking Causes Cancer” on every pack, even tho _that particular pack_ is very unlikely to cause cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/122 "2016-03-13T03:24:13Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Unpasteurized milk results in 13x the hospitalizations as pasteurized milk, and its a lot less common. I tried to download the [CDC report on outbreaks](http://wcms.cdc.gov/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=153008&sys_revision=1&sys_folderid=99641&sys_activeitemid=&sys_context=0&sys_siteid=305&sys_variantid=1241&sys_authtype=0&sys_command=editrc) but I get an error. Can anybody else get it? I got that link [from this page](http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/nonpasteurized-outbreaks.html). 13x by itself doesn’t mean much; e.g. if 2 people get sick from pasteurized milk and 26 people get sick from raw milk then it’s not much of a problem. If it’s 10k/130k then there’s a problem. It appears that France allows raw milk, especially with cheese, and I’ve never heard of them having much of a problem. > [@Acsenray](#): > > “Raw milk” is used as a synonym for “unpasteurized milk.” Putting milk in something that is then cooked is not the same as pasteurizing the milk. From a safety point they are pretty much the same. Pasteurizing is killing the bugs with heat; cooking will do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/123 "2016-03-13T11:46:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They can make Big Tobacco put “Smoking Causes Cancer” on every pack, even tho _that particular pack_ is very unlikely to cause cancer. Yes, they can. Because smoking does cause cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/124 "2016-03-13T14:22:30Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I tried to download the [CDC report on outbreaks](http://wcms.cdc.gov/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=153008&sys_revision=1&sys_folderid=99641&sys_activeitemid=&sys_context=0&sys_siteid=305&sys_variantid=1241&sys_authtype=0&sys_command=editrc) but I get an error. Can anybody else get it? I got that link [from this page](http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/nonpasteurized-outbreaks.html). I could get this one: [http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/3/pdfs/11-1370.pdf](http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/3/pdfs/11-1370.pdf) I didnt read it. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/125 "2016-03-13T18:21:44Z")
Drank raw milk all the time when I was a kid. It went from the cow to the milker to the bulk tank to the bottle, which was then taken up to the house. I seem to have survived it… ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/126 "2016-03-13T18:24:10Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > It can happen either way. If a cow is infected, the bacteria can be directly shed in the milk. Or it can be introduced by unsanitary handling, at any point between udder and final packaging. > > The primary reservoirs of infection are in industrial feedlot operations, not the kind of smaller grass-fed dairies that typically offer raw milk. > > Listeriosis is _not_ commonly transmissible from human to human, with the notable exception of mother to infant. Basically, you have to ingest infected bodily fluids to get it. Is this something that could easily be detected and treated in a cow? I know it would add to the cost. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/127 "2016-03-13T18:54:04Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Yes, they can. Because smoking does cause cancer. Drinking raw milk \*will \*give you a disease like salmonella. Sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/128 "2016-04-14T07:24:49Z")
In Australia they try to get around the law by calling it “Bath Milk” and saying it is “for cosmetic purposes only”. Some expert says you shouldn’t even bathe in it: [http://www.qt.com.au/news/queensland-health-issues-warning-bath-milk-product/2685865/](http://www.qt.com.au/news/queensland-health-issues-warning-bath-milk-product/2685865/) Latest news: > **[SA couple fined for selling raw milk - 9News](https://www.9news.com.au/national/couple-fined-for-selling-raw-milk/055926e9-8b36-4d55-98f0-7cd4f0fdd112)** > > A South Australian couple have been fined for selling raw milk through a cow-share scheme. A couple got fined more than $17,000 for selling raw milk ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437/129 "2016-04-14T08:40:33Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Is this something that could easily be detected and treated in a cow? I know it would add to the cost. Bulk tanks of milk are checked prior to pasteurization, and those with extremely high somatic cell counts are not supposed to be used for human consumption, further, then they have to test each cow and see which one(s) are the ones with infection. Mastitis in cows can range from subclinical, in which the only indicator may be a drop in milk production (so they have to keep good logs and periodically check them), to full on “cow is sick” to “just the udders are bad, but unless you’re observant you may not see it”. The problem is that some bacteria (like _Listeria monocytogenes_) can pass through the udder and there may not be enough of an increase in inflammatory cells to detect its presence. Same with a few other bacteria (hence pasteurization). Also, if an animal has listeriosis, it may or may not be treated depending on the form. \*Listeria \* likes to infect the brain, hence those cases may not be treated in food animals (well, the treatment is euthanasia). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wv-lawmakers-suffer-stomach-illness-after-drinking-raw-milk-to-celebrate-legalizing-raw-milk/748437.md?page=6)