Safer Means Of Disposing Of Mad Cows

MissMarvel writes "A company claims to have a safer way to dispose of cows infected with Mad Cow Disease. It says that by using the kinds of chemicals that go into a drain-clearing product such as Drano, they can safely break down the suspected disease-causing proteins, known as prions. The bodies of infected dead cattle are usually burned to destroy proteins these brain-wasting compounds."

Comments

Proofread, anyone?

[hankaholic]

It's bad enough when the editor doesn't RTFA, but it's even worse when the post itself doesn't parse correctly.

The bodies of infected dead cattle are usually burned to destroy proteins these brain-wasting compounds.

Indeed.

Let's see...

[ObviousGuy]

Release carcinogens into the air by burning the cows...

Or dump toxins into the water table by dousing the cows with Drano...

Which is safer again?

This might be important...

[jakoz]

This might be important, but the real issue is early detection of this desease, avoiding cross contamination, etc. If you want to be scared, trace the life of a cow once it leaves the farm, and play spot the faults at every step along the way. Trust me... it is very, very easy.

I've heard it said that one hamburger can contain parts from 1000 head of cattle. When youre talking those sorts of numbers, the potential for outbreak, both for this and other diseases, is huge.

Disposing of the bodies is one thing, but far more important is early detection and isolation.

Eating an infected cow

[phorm]

My question - can you truely die in most circumstances from eating meat on an infected cow? I've heard arguements both ways... I would definately say you will stand a high chance of infection if you eat the brain matter - but what about well-cooked portions of the regular meat?

Is mad-cow a scare? The chances of eating a mad cow are extremely low. How about the chances of infection from eating various parts?

Can anyone clarify this further?

Re:Eating an infected cow

[wcdw]

Yes, it is possible to get the disease from eating "well-cooked portions of the regular meat". One of the problems is that the stun guns used in the industry have been known to blow brain matter well into the animal. If this gets on 'the regular meat', it's just as infected as eating the spinal cord.

Another problem is that the US uses mechanical picking devices to remove the last meat from the spine, rather than (prion dissolving) solvents used in other countries. The potential for contamination there is pretty evident, although mostly confined to 'speciality meats'.

Good cuts of steak are your best bet -- but are by no means a guarantee of anything.

They did *what* with the carcasses?

[Oddly_Drac]

Can someone confirm that the 400 cows slaughtered last week weren't actually buried according to news reports?

'cos if they had, you have a time bomb on your hands before the prions eventually reach the water-table, not to mention the long way up the food chain.

You have to incinerate the carcasses.

Re:Powerful bases can break down proteins

[Lord Kano]

Fertilizer. Once it is harmless, neutralize the base, and compost it. In a few months spread it on a field and improve the soil.

Are YOU going to want to eat something grown in Mad Cow fertilizer? I sure as hell won't.

I'm not willing to bank on no rogue prions having survived the processing.

Note, what and how to neutralize a base needs to be carefull understood. The technology is easy enough (just pour in some acid), but doing it safely (for workers), and safely (so the byproducts don't render the soil unable to grow plants) is something that needs to be planed for in advance.

If you neutralize a base with acid, you get salt. You can't fertilize anything with salt.