This article from the 8/13/03 WSJ: Some Male 'Enlargement' Pills Contain a Variety of Impurities (by JULIA ANGWIN, August 13, 2003) is enough to make you swear off the largely unregulated supplement business.

“Don't bank on the promised "three inches." What some customers might get from Performance Marketing's [enlargement] pills is a less-than-sexy dose of bacteria and other contaminants. Commissioned by The Wall Street Journal, Flora Research, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., conducted an independent laboratory analysis of a composite sample of 10 Performance Marketing pills and turned up significant levels of E. coli, yeast, mold, lead and pesticide residues.”

The amount of E. coli bacteria -- 16,300 colony-forming units per gram -- appears to be particularly high, experts say. "I think it's safe to say it has heavy fecal contamination," says Michael Donnenberg, head of the infectious-diseases department at the University of Maryland.

The WSJournal's independent analysis revealed the presence of bacteria, heavy metals and pesticide residues. The pills far exceed suggested limits set by ConsumerLab.com LLC, an independent rating agency for the nutritional-supplement industry, for coliform, a type of bacteria that can indicate contamination from water or feces. "You'd probably be spending more time in the bathroom than the bedroom with this product," says Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com. Yeast and mold counts also exceeded ConsumerLab.com's limits. The amount of lead in a daily dose of three pills surpassed the limit set by California's strict labeling laws for "chemicals causing reproductive toxicity."

Repeat after me: Size doesn't matter . . . at least, not enough to consume E. coli, yeast, mold, lead, pesticide residues and fecal matter.

Posted at 10:03 PM in Humor | Permalink

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