Group pushes lactose lawsuit

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One group's beef about lactose intolerance and the lack of warnings on dairy products has surfaced in an ad campaign spoofing the well-known "Got Milk" ads.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says 75 percent of people worldwide, especially blacks, have the condition that causes abdominal pain and other digestive problems when they drink milk. The group's $15,000 campaign -- which asks, "Got lactose intolerance?" -- debuted in the District this month.

The ads show people hovering around a restroom with looks of agony and milk mustaches on their faces. The ads direct viewers to www.MilkMakesMeSick.org or to call PCRM.

The Metro system has been plastered by nearly 300 of the ads, including 70 ads in rail cars and more than 200 inside buses.

PCRM, a nonprofit group based in the District, plans to file suit against dairy producers on behalf of D.C. residents who are lactose intolerant. The lawsuit will seek compensation for sufferers and a court order mandating that warning labels about lactose intolerance be placed on milk sold in the city.

The group has received more than 100 responses to its ad campaign, mainly from people asking whether they are eligible to join the lawsuit, said Dan Kinburn, associate general counsel for PCRM.

Adults who have learned within the past three years that they are lactose intolerant and children who have the condition are eligible to receive damages if PCRM prevails in court, said Mr. Kinburn, who expects to file the lawsuit in mid-July.

More than a billboard

The news anchors at WJLA-TV (Channel 7) are larger than life.

An ad, featuring anchors such as Kathleen Matthews and Leon Harris, is wrapped around a 75-foot-long Metro car on the Red Line.