Except there’s a growing problem. Actually, the problem is not with the “growing”. Produce and the grass eaten by cattle, sheep, etc., do very well. It’s that some of the cattle are getting a little too gentle in some parts of the world. In Georgia, the state monitors the quality of the milk and the labs have made an interesting discovery. Humans have been popping the tablets and recycling the “waste products” back into the environment for decades. This means the drugs are now in the rivers and the underground water used for irrigation. They are also sprayed directly on to field as fertilizer. Valium has the highest concentration. When the cows contentedly ruminate on the problem, it enters their milk and then reappears on our tables.

Well, apart from taking a cheap valium to stop worrying about the problem (or should that be, simply drinking more milk), there’s almost nothing that can be done about it. The whole system we city dwellers have built for dealing with human waste depends on processing and then releasing the “safe” outflow and sludge into the environment again. None of us want to see our taxes rise to redesign or replace our sewage plants. So, all I can ask is that we all use fewer pills. I like my milk and prefer it free from valium. And the same goes for the yoghurt, butter, cheese and anything else made from the milk of animals. And don’t forget to wash fresh produce thoroughly before using it!

It gives them an unfair advantage. But just as WADA devises a new test, so the cheats develop new ways of hiding their steroids. One of the substances thought to mask the use of steroids was finasteride which is sold under the name of propecia. This is a perfectly legitimate drug used to treat male pattern baldness. It has an excellent track record for effectiveness and safety only requiring that the man takes one tablet per day for as long as he wishes to retain his hair. Thus, propecia was duly added to the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. Over time, a number of athletes were banned for using propecia. Without exception, they all protested their innocence of any use of steroids or other banned performance enhancer. There was considerable litigation.

WADA’s decision to remove propecia from its list illustrates the emergence of evidence that propecia does not interfere with the tests for steroids nor mask their use in any way. This does not help the athletes who were banned for its use nor the unfortunate publicity that was given to their baldness. But one thing is undeniable. WADA publishes its list. As to those of you athletes who are threatened with hair loss. Propecia is a great product and you can use it without breaking the rules as from January 1, 2009.