The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that over 40 percent of large dairy operations in the United States inject their cows with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), a synthetic hormone that induces cows to produce more milk. The use of rBGH remains controversial and was not approved in Canada, Japan or the European Union because of negative effects on animal health. There are also concerns that the use of rBGH may be linked to cancer in humans.