Your Sept. 9 editorial, "Do cry over dyeing untreated milk," implies that unpasteurized apple cider is equally as dangerous as raw milk. That's not the case. Raw milk is a product of animals, and as such, is much more likely than apple cider to be contaminated with animal pathogens that can make people sick. Also, unpasteurized apple cider only can be sold by the cup (if a warning is posted) in North Carolina, which sharply limits its distribution. Raw milk from a cow share or other permissive sale or transfer could enter the human food chain as milk or a milk product in many ways.

An outbreak of premature births, stillborns and neonatal deaths was traced to Listeria-contaminated raw cheese in North Carolina in 2001. Children and pregnant women are especially susceptible to the pathogens contaminating raw milk. There's absolutely no evidence that raw milk is any healthier than pasteurized milk, and there's plenty of evidence to the contrary.

When appropriate, our state takes action to ensure that people stay healthy. That's why we need to do what we can to prevent humans from consuming raw milk. In this accord, we support the Board of Agriculture in its action on this issue.

Jeffrey Engel, MD
Raleigh

The writer is state epidemiologist.