Armour hormones, pigs, cows, BSE, CWD, Scrapie, TSE, Prion, from the frying pan and into the skillet
PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
WARNINGS
Drugs with thyroid hormone activity, alone or together with other therapeutic agents, have been used for the treatment of obesity. In euthyroid patients, doses within the range of daily hormonal requirements are ineffective for weight reduction. Larger doses may produce serious or even life-threatening manifestations of toxicity, particularly when given in association with sympathomimetic amines such as those used for their anorectic effects. |
The use of thyroid hormones in the therapy of obesity, alone or combined with other drugs, is unjustified and has been shown to be ineffective. Neither is their use justified for the treatment of male or female infertility unless this condition is accompanied by hypothyroidism.
The active ingredient (desiccated natural thyroid) in Armour Thyroid (thyroid tablets, USP) is derived from porcine (pig) thyroid glands of pigs processed for human food consumption and is produced at a facility that also handles bovine (cow) tissues from animals processed for human food consumption. As a result, a potential risk of product contamination with porcine and bovine viral or other adventitious agents cannot be ruled out. Forest is not aware of any cases of disease transmission associated with the use of Armour ® Thyroid (thyroid tablets, USP).
Q. The Claim: Synthroid is the Best Thyroid Hormone Replacement Drug
If you are hypothyroid, your doctor will probably prescribe Synthroid. This levothyoxine (synthetic thyroxine) drug, made by Abbott Labs, is the top-selling thyroid drug in the U.S., commanding some two-thirds of the market for thyroid replacement. Synthroid is, however, often more costly than its competitors. Some doctors won't hear of prescribing anything but Synthroid however, and claim unequivocally that "Synthroid is the best." Is That So? A. Levothyroxine is the synthetic form of T4, one of the two main hormones the thyroid produces. The most widely prescribed levothyroxine product is the brand name Synthroid. Given that levothyroxine is the conventional medical world's accepted treatment for hypothyroidism, most patients will find themselves prescribed
levothyroxine, and usually Synthroid. Synthroid's manufacturer has at times claimed their drug to be better than its competitors, but research proved Synthroid to be merely bioequivalent -- or equal, in terms of what function they perform in the body -- to their competition, rather than better. This claim of superiority, therefore, actually has no merit. Many doctors, however, still erroneously believe that Synthroid is "better," after being subject to years of this misleading advertising message. All the major brandname levothyroxine products, Synthroid, Unithroid, Levoxyl and Levothroid, have different fillers and binders, so people may have different allergic responses to the different brands.
http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/
So, if you react to one levothyroxine, your doctor might want to try other brands to see if you react to those brands as well.
Some people who are on levothyroxine also need the addition of the second key hormone, T3. Among that group, some people do best with the T3 drug Cytomel. Anecdotally, however, some patients have reported allergic reactions to Cytomel. The option, compounded or time-released compounded T3, has been used successfully by other patients, but there have been concerns about these products, due to inconsistent production. Other doctors and patients prefer a product known as Thyrolar, a synthetic combination of T4 and T3. Some patients do best on natural desiccated thyroid drugs, such as Armour thyroid, or, in some cases, people find the hypoallergenic formula of natural drug, Nature-throid, works best for them. (Pork allergies, however, may make these products problematic for some patients. There are some patients and practitioners who are also concerned about these products due to fears of prion-related diseases such as Mad Cow Disease, despite manufacturer assurances that these products are safe.) So is Synthroid, or any thyroid drug, better than the others? I think Dr. Richard Shames, a Boca Raton, Florida holistic practitioner and co-author of Thyroid Power and Fat, Fuzzy and Frazzled? -- who has treated thyroid conditions for a quarter century -- has the best advice for patients. "In 25 years of practice, I have found that it doesn't necessarily matter which kind of thyroid hormone you start with so much, as which kind you end up with after trying several different types to see which one works best for you. Initially, I typically recommend whatever type they have either heard about, have a "gut-feeling" about, know family members who have a good response to a particular kind of medicine, or have a philosophical inclination for one kind or another. Sometimes it it the combination of two or three of the above medicines that proves to be the magic solution for a particular person. If the initial item tried does not give 85-95% improvement, I then encourage the person to either add something to their first choice product or discontinue it and start something totally new. It is my firm belief that the state of the art in finding the optimal medicine is still trial and error." The answer is, the best drug is the drug which safely makes you feel your best. And there's no predetermined formula to tell which drug will be the best for you, until you try them, find optimal doses, and see how you do over time.
Mary Shomon, About.com's Thyroid Guide since 1997, is a nationally-known patient advocate and best-selling author of 10 books on health, including "The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough: Overcoming Sexual and Hormonal Problems at Every Age," "The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss," "Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know," "Living Well With Graves' Disease and Hyperthyroidism," "Living Well With Autoimmune Disease," and "Living Well With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia." Click _here_
(http://thyroid.about.com/mbiopage.htm)
for more information on Mary Shomon.
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. (wt-d4-166.wt.net) Subject: Re: THYROID MEDICATION, PIGS , PIG FEED, AND MADCOW Date: August 16, 1998 at 14:14:48 EST
In Reply to: THYROID MEDICATION, PIGS , PIG FEED, AND MADCOW posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. on July 28, 1998 at 14:12:38:
I am having a hard time getting information on ingrediants of these drugs. Nobody wants to cooperate. Although I have found the names and ingrediants of some with DESICCATED ANIMAL (T4/T3). ARMOUR Thyroid tablets for oral use are natural preparations derived from porcine (Pork) thyroid glands. From the late 1890's until relatively recently, physicians worldwide have treated hypothroid patients with tablets containing desiccated (dried and powdered) animal thyroid glands. These tablets contained both levothyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). In 1958, the first synthetic levothyroxine tablets were marketed in the United States. Because thyroid hormones were on the market before the Food and Drug Admimistration (FDA) laws were in place, manufacturers of these hormones were not required to meet the extensive testing requirements of safety and effectiveness required of all new drugs introduced after 1938. In other words, thyroid hormone replacements, such as synthetic levothyroxine, were "GRANDFATHERED" into the system, consequently, there are no FDA approved procedures or standards for testing these preparations other than specifying that each pill contain betwee 90% to 110% of the standard chemical content. Also Thyrolar contains synthetic T3. There is also Cytomel. I believe all these contain desiccated animal. I am still searching. Maybe the Thyroid Society could find time to list these drugs and their Ingrediants. None of the Drug company's will cooperate. You start talking about dessicated animals in these drugs and asking for ingrediants from people and they lose their tounge./
MADCOWDEADMOMMADSON/TERRY
PLUS, ARMOUR MADE A BOVINE THYROID MEDICATION SOME TIME BACK CALLED "THYRAR" MADE FROM DESSICATED BOVINE THYROID GLAND...
Subject: Mad Cow / Mad Pig and Thyroid Risks Date: November 10, 2000 at 2:24 pm PST Mad Cow / Mad Pig and Thyroid Risks
Could food supplements and medications be inadvertent media for the spread of prion based brain diseases? Multiple sources would suggest this is possible, even likely, due to the use of animal gelatins. This probability goes up even more when the medication itself is a glandular extract.
Importance
BSE / Mad Cow / TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies) are NOT a small topic!
Nobel Prize awarded to Carleton Gajdusek for Kuru/TSE research Nobel Prize awarded to Stanley Prusiner for TSE/Prion research Pulitzer prize winning author Richard Rhodes wrote "Deadly Feasts" on the controversy ISBN 0-684-84425-7 (Mentioned on 259 web pages) Oprah dedicated a show to BSE/Mad Cow, was sued by Texas cattlemen, Courts upheld her 1st Amendment right to Freedom of Speech! Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Mink, Humans have all caught and died of TSE's Prions can not be killed by mere boiling or cooking Over 200,000 deaths/year by 2015 predicted by Prof. Lacey (below) Over 30,700 web pages mention Mad Cow (AltaVista) Web pages on Chaperonins, chemicals possibly preventing the mis-folding of proteins which are the basis for TSE's and Alzheimer's, jumped from 2 to over 6,000 in one year!
Clearly, Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, such as BSE and CJD (one human form,) are a topic of some controversy, one we should all become more aware of.
Mad Cow Censorship
Some questions were raised on the Thyroid mailing list out of StJohns.EDU regarding where the various natural thyroid supplements come from, and how safe they may be with respect to Mad Cow Disease. The basic text of this article was conveniently "discarded" by the moderator, as it seems are a number posts questioning the safety of natural thyroid extracts, or discussing non-prescription alternatives to them. Such pro-prescription medication biases are not new to certain moderated mailing lists... some of which may be rabidly pro something, others against, at the whims of biased or subsidized moderators. (The biases of that list are mild, compared to some other lists, such as an ozone list several years back.) Always look for biases when considering internet, and any other information sources.
Researchers on BSE / TSE say this kind of censorship is not new. Dr. Harash Narang, a British microbiologist and CJD researcher, says he first detected variant CJD in humans back in 1988. He claims that he was ordered to stop work on BSE in 1990, and subsequently "laid off". He believes that British authorities have blocked and undermined such research and detection efforts. (British press articles)
Thyroid Supplements and Mad Cow / BSE
There are natural thyroid extracts, such as Armour Thyroid, and synthetics such as Cytomel and Synthroid. The natural ones are taken from the thyroid glands of animals, such as pigs.
On page 220 of Rhodes' book, Nobel Price winner Dr. Carleton Gajdusek is quoted saying pigs are routinely slaughtered before the disease would become evident in them. Carleton Gajdusek is one of the foremost researchers of Kuru and other "Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies", TSE, of which Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Scrapie, CJD, and Kuru are variants.
In the book, Dr. Gajdusek is quoted: "the disease hasn't turned up in pigs only because you don't keep pigs alive for seven or eight years; they're killed after two or three years at the most. When we kept pigs we'd inoculated in our laboratory for eight years, they came down with scrapie. [a TSE variant] Probably all the pigs in England are infected. And that means not only pork, it means your pigskin wallet. It means catgut surgical suture, because that's made of pig tissue. All the chickens fed on meat-and-bone meal; they're probably infected. You put that stuff in a chicken and it goes right through"... And in America, beef cattle are killed at or before age two, before they are likely to show outward symptoms. (Page 228)
Mad Cow in America
In America, chicken excreta is fed to cattle as a good source of nitrogen. (Page 258.) As for the American FDA's ban on feeding meat and animal by-products to cattle, Rhodes writes "That's a ban with exclusions big enough to drive a cortege of hearses through." Their own TSE advisory committee urged the FDA take stronger measures. (Page 257.)
According to the book, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy has been detected in America, and not just in cattle; the American form is yet another variant TSE, which does not cause the staggers and other behaviors found in British cattle, but results in a more "sedate" collapse of the victim, referred to as "downer cattle". The nature of the brain damage is also distinct; a spongiform with differently shaped and oriented vacancies. Other forms have been transmitted via eating wild squirrels, and wild bear. Some zoos have lost animals to TSE's.
Human Epidemic
Dr. John Pattison, Chairman of the British government's Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), Dean of the University College of London Medical School, believes 500,000 people may already be incubating CJD in Britain. [Dr. Alsleben.] Dr. Alsleben, in his excellent Mad Cow web site, states that prions can be found in white blood cells contaminating milk, and even in the animal grease used in lipstick. (URL at end) Professor Richard Lacey of the Microbiology Department of Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, points out on page 222 of the book that "there was no certainty that the source of infection had been cut off."... "'If it seems that the incubation-period average for CJD in humans begins to be about twenty five years, maybe thirty years,' he told me grimly, 'then the peak human epidemic will come around the year 2015. If the current numbers of variant CJD cases [the main human TSE,] increases by fifty percent per year compound, as they well might, that would take it to about two hundred thousand cases a year by then'. Human cases, that is 200,000 deaths per year" (In Britain.)
Others suggest that 5% OR MORE of the Alzheimer's cases in America may be due to CJD and other TSE variants. If so, are we already seeing the beginning of a growing tide of TSE related deaths?
Limiting Factors
It is noted that amongst the Fore, the cannibals who got kuru, another TSE variant similar to CJD, only some one percent of the population seemed affected.
This one percent figure suggests a genetic bias, and some genetic biases have been detected. This may serve as a model for predicting human death rates. Evidence suggest a one in a million rate of spontaneous occurrence among susceptible species. Once inserted into a food chain that recycles animal protein, one in a hundred may get it.
In America, that one percent would translate to well over two and a half million slow, expensive deaths, a far worse epidemic
than AIDS! But... not the end of civilization as we know it.
One is reminded that there have been many plagues in human history; plagues like the Black Plague, the Justinian Plague, and many others. Humanity has thus far survived, even if reduced in numbers. No need to panic; just act wisely.
Prions and Counters
Several Prion variants have been found, some of which act quickly, some of which act far more slowly, so the 25 year estimate may be considerably off. There is also recent research on chaperonins, biochemicals that assist in folding proteins, which may be related to resistance to prion diseases. (Prion diseases are believed to involve folding of proteins, and what is similar to crystal growth of the mis-folded proteins.) See http://www.mad-cow.org/ and look up chaperonin at http://www.AltaVista.Digital.com , a term that only had two pages on the web last year, and now has over six thousand!
Will we find a cure for Spongiform Encephalopathy? Unlikely, since the spongiform phase is caused by massive death of neural tissue; tissue which can not regrow. That said, we might yet find ways of preventing the degeneration where it has not already occurred. So caution might be well advised.
Incubation
Twenty five years incubation time is a long time.... If one ends up with thyroid supplements in one's late thirties, it might be age 65 when some of the more noticeable effects begin to become evident. Those with less resistant genetics may display effects much sooner. Others may die of other dis-eases before the effects of TSE would become clearly visible. And most... may even avoid coming down with the disease.
And yet... Science News ran an article on Alzheimer's research in which some researchers claimed they could often detect the condition decades early simply by noting the manner of speech and writing of a person. People with pre-Alzheimer's conditions seem to rely more on lists and relationships, than logic and cause-and-effect reasoning about the world. They also tend to write shorter, simpler sentences long before clinical neurological deficits become evident. (Research was done using nuns, comparing their original statements of intent to become nuns, with their conditions decades later.)
Is Alzheimer's a form of TSE? Some would say yes, others would say no. And still others have suggested many cases of Alzheimer's are really TSE, but not all. The lesions in the brain are similar, but not identical.
Weigh the Risks
We must all weigh risks v.s. benefits ourselves. I am not a doctor, I can not advise you; you have to think for yourself. Like Oprah, I have stopped eating beef; as well as all other animal meats and animal products like gelatin. I dump the contents of all my gelatin capsules into a spoon, and discard the empty capsules. I also avoid "ranched" fish like catfish and salmon. Is that enough? I don't know. With luck, I may never find out.
A one percent rate sounds considerably better than other estimates I have run across. However, the real question I have is, what are the subtle effects long before the final destruction? If these prions are indeed the rod-like structures researcher Patricia Merz describes on page 156, then they would likely impede cellular machinery long before they became long enough to break cell membranes and kill the cells. Thus it is possible that long before that final break, subtle neurological effects could
become evident. Dr. Merz findings of prions in spleen tissue and elsewhere is quite disturbing, as it suggests prions may travel freely in the blood of these animals, and thus would imply that all tissue is likely to harbor some prions, not just brain tissue. Thus, over 25 million of us may be at grave risk to our health; and our relatives, at risk for extreme emotional and financial stresses as they contribute to our care as we slowly go mad and die of CJD.
Your health is your responsibility, not your doctor's. It is you who must decide what behaviors, and risks, are acceptable to you.
Books and Resources
"Deadly Feasts", by Pulitzer prize winner Richard Rhodes. ISBN0-684-84425-7. Worth reading! http://www.mad-cow.org/ Mentioned by Rhodes as a valuable current record on this developing topic. Dr. Harry Alsleben, a preventative medicine researcher, calls this "Our Greatest Biological Catastrophe", His excellent web site is dedicated to warning people about prion diseases; and exposing the policies that warn "officials", while attempting to minimize public concerns and short term financial impact to industry. What is more, he use to sell animal collagen products. He stopped and accepted the financial loss when he learned about BSE. I salute him for his responsible actions. Resources from PBS - Nova The Brain Eaters episode on Mad Cow disease. (Presumably, this site will not be up forever.)
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. (wt-d4-166.wt.net) Subject: Re: THYROID MEDICATION, PIGS , PIG FEED, AND MADCOW Date: August 16, 1998 at 14:14:48 EST
In Reply to: THYROID MEDICATION, PIGS , PIG FEED, AND MADCOW posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. on July 28, 1998 at 14:12:38:
I am having a hard time getting information on ingrediants of these drugs. Nobody wants to cooperate. Although I have found the names and ingrediants of some with DESICCATED ANIMAL (T4/T3). ARMOUR Thyroid tablets for oral use are natural preparations derived from porcine (Pork) thyroid glands. From the late 1890's until relatively recently, physicians worldwide have treated hypothroid patients with tablets containing desiccated (dried and powdered) animal thyroid glands. These tablets contained both levothyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). In 1958, the first synthetic levothyroxine tablets were marketed in the United States. Because thyroid hormones were on the market before the Food and Drug Admimistration (FDA) laws were in place, manufacturers of these hormones were not required to meet the extensive testing requirements of safety and effectiveness required of all new drugs introduced after 1938. In other words, thyroid hormone replacements, such as synthetic levothyroxine, were "GRANDFATHERED" into the system, consequently, there are no FDA approved procedures or standards for testing these preparations other than specifying that each pill contain betwee 90% to 110% of the standard chemical content. Also Thyrolar contains synthetic T3. There is also Cytomel. I believe all these contain desiccated animal. I am still searching. Maybe the Thyroid Society could find time to list these drugs and their Ingrediants. None of the Drug company's will cooperate. You start talking about dessicated animals in these drugs and asking for ingrediants from people and they lose their tounge./MADCOWDEADMOMMADSON/TERRY
PLUS, ARMOUR MADE A BOVINE THYROID MEDICATION SOME TIME BACK CALLED "THYRAR" MADE FROM DESSICATED BOVINE THYROID GLAND...
TSS
WONDER if any of our loved ones had taken "THYRAR" ??? (way back)
don't ask, don't find, cjd questionnaire. .............TSS
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017
Our ongoing studies will show whether the transmission of CWD into macaques and passage in transgenic mice represents a form of non-adaptive prion amplification, and whether macaque-adapted prions have the potential to infect mice expressing human PrP.
states.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg16922840.300
U.S.A. 50 STATE BSE MAD COW CONFERENCE CALL Jan. 9, 2001
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 16:49:00 -0800
From: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr."
Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
To: BSE-L@uni-karlsruhe.de
######### Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Greetings List Members,
I was lucky enough to sit in on this BSE conference call today and even managed to ask a question. that is when the trouble started.
I submitted a version of my notes to Sandra Blakeslee of the New York Times, whom seemed very upset, and rightly so.
"They tell me it is a closed meeting and they will release whatever information they deem fit. Rather infuriating."
and i would have been doing just fine, until i asked my question. i was surprised my time to ask a question so quick.
(understand, these are taken from my notes for now. the spelling of names and such could be off.)
[host Richard Barns] and now a question from Terry S. Singeltary of CJD Watch.
[TSS] yes, thank you, U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds?
[no answer, you could hear in the back ground, mumbling and 'we can't. have him ask the question again.]
[host Richard] could you repeat the question?
[TSS] U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds?
[not sure whom ask this] what group are you with?
[TSS] CJD Watch, my Mom died from hvCJD and we are tracking CJD world-wide.
[not sure who is speaking] could you please disconnect Mr. Singeltary
[TSS] you are not going to answer my question?
[not sure whom speaking] NO
from this point, i was still connected, got to listen and tape the whole conference. at one point someone came on, a woman, and ask again;
[unknown woman] what group are you with?
[TSS] CJD Watch and my Mom died from hvCJD we are trying to tract down CJD and other human TSE's world wide. i was invited to sit in on this from someone inside the USDA/APHIS and that is why i am here. do you intend on banning me from this conference now?
at this point the conference was turned back up, and i got to finish listening. They never answered or even addressed my one question, or even addressed the issue. BUT, i will try and give you a run-down for now, of the conference.
IF i were another Country, I would take heed to my notes, BUT PLEASE do not depend on them. ask for transcript from;
RBARNS@ORA.FDA.GOV 301-827-6906
he would be glad to give you one ;-)
Rockville Maryland, Richard Barns Host
BSE issues in the U.S., How they were labelling ruminant feed? Revising issues.
The conference opened up with the explaining of the U.K. BSE epidemic winding down with about 30 cases a week.
although new cases in other countries were now appearing.
Look at Germany whom said NO BSE and now have BSE.
BSE increasing across Europe.
Because of Temporary Ban on certain rendered product, heightened interest in U.S.
A recent statement in Washington Post, said the New Administration (old GW) has a list of issues. BSE is one of the issues.
BSE Risk is still low, minimal in U.S. with a greater interest in MBM not to enter U.S.
HOWEVER, if BSE were to enter the U.S. it would be economically disastrous to the render, feed, cattle, industries, and for human health.
(human health-they just threw that in cause i was listening. I will now jot down some figures in which they told you, 'no need to write them down'. just hope i have them correct. hmmm, maybe i hope i don't ???)
80% inspection of rendering
*Problem-Complete coverage of rendering HAS NOT occurred.
sizeable number of 1st time FAILED INITIAL INSPECTION, have not been reinspected (70% to 80%).
Compliance critical, Compliance poor in U.K. and other European Firms.
Gloria Dunason Major Assignment 1998 goal TOTAL compliance. This _did not_ occur. Mixed level of compliance, depending on firm.
Rendering FDA license and NON FDA license
system in place for home rendering & feed 76% in compliance 79% cross contamination 21% DID NOT have system 92% record keeping less than 60% total compliance
279 inspectors 185 handling prohibited materials
Renderer at top of pyramid, significant part of compliance. 84% compliance
failed to have caution statement render 72% compliance & cross contamination caution statement on feed, 'DO NOT FEED TO CATTLE'
56 FIRMS NEVER INSPECTED
1240 FDA license feed mills 846 inspected
"close to 400 feed mills have not been inspected"
80% compliance for feed.
10% don't have system.
NON-FDA licensed mills There is NO inventory on non licensed mills. approximately 6000 to 8000 Firms ??? 4,344 ever inspected. "FDA does not have a lot of experience with"
40% do NOT have caution statement 'DO NOT FEED'.
74% Commingling compliance
"This industry needs a lot of work and only half gotten to"
"700 Firms that were falitive, and need to be re-inspected, in addition to the 8,000 Firms."
Quote to do BSE inspection in 19 states by end of January or 30 days, and other states 60 days. to change feed status??? Contract check and ask questions and pass info.
At this time, we will take questions.
[I was about the third or fourth to ask question. then all B.S.eee broke loose, and i lost my train of thought for a few minutes. picked back up here]
someone asking about nutritional supplements and sourcing, did not get name. something about inspectors not knowing of BSE risk??? the conference person assuring that Steve Follum? and the TSE advisory Committee were handling that.
Some other Dr. Vet, whom were asking questions that did not know what to do???
[Dennis Wilson] California Food Agr. Imports, are they looking at imports?
[Conference person] they are looking at imports, FDA issued imports Bulletin.
[Linda Singeltary ??? this was a another phone in question, not related i don't think] Why do we have non-licensed facilities?
(conference person) other feed mills do not handle as potent drugs???
Dennis Blank, Ken Jackson licensed 400 non FDA 4400 inspected of a total of 6000 to 8000,
(they really don't know how many non licensed Firms in U.S. they guess 6000 to 8000??? TSS)
Linda Detwiler asking everyone (me) not to use emergency BSE number, unless last resort. (i thought of calling them today, and reporting the whole damn U.S. cattle herd ;-) 'not'
Warren-Maryland Dept. Agr. Prudent to re-inspect after 3 years. concerned of Firms that have changed owners.
THE END
TSS
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FROM New York TIMES
Subject: Re: BSE 50 STATE CONFERENCE CALL thread from BSE List and FDA Posting of cut version...
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 22:02:47 -0700
From: "Sandy Blakeslee"
To: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr."
Hi terry -- thanks for all your help. I know it made a difference with the FDA getting out that release.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr."
To:
Subject: BSE 50 STATE CONFERENCE CALL thread from BSE List and FDA Posting of cut version...
hi sandy,
From the New York Times NYTimes.com, January 11, 2001
Many Makers of Feed Fail to Heed Rules on Mad Cow Disease By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
Large numbers of companies involved in manufacturing animal feed are not complying with regulations meant to prevent the emergence and spread of mad cow disease in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.
The widespread failure of companies to follow the regulations, adopted in August 1997, does not mean that the American food supply is unsafe, Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the F.D.A., said in an interview.
But much more needs to be done to ensure that mad cow disease does not arise in this country, Dr. Sundlof said.
The regulations state that feed manufacturers and companies that render slaughtered animals into useful products generally may not feed mammals to cud-chewing animals, or ruminants, which can carry mad cow disease.
All products that contain rendered cattle or sheep must have a label that says, "Do not feed to ruminants," Dr. Sundlof said. Manufacturers must also have a system to prevent ruminant products from being commingled with other rendered material like that from chicken, fish or pork. Finally, all companies must keep records of where their products originated and where they were sold.
Under the regulations, F.D.A. district offices and state veterinary offices were required to inspect all rendering plants and feed mills to make sure companies complied. But results issued yesterday demonstrate that more than three years later, different segments of the feed industry show varying levels of compliance.
Among 180 large companies that render cattle and another ruminant, sheep, nearly a quarter were not properly labeling their products and did not have a system to prevent commingling, the F.D.A. said. And among 347 F.D.A.-licensed feed mills that handle ruminant materials - these tend to be large operators that mix drugs into their products - 20 percent were not using labels with the required caution statement, and 25 percent did not have a system to prevent commingling.
Then there are some 6,000 to 8,000 feed mills so small they do not require F.D.A. licenses. They are nonetheless subject to the regulations, and of 1,593 small feed producers that handle ruminant material and have been inspected, 40 percent were not using approved labels and 25 percent had no system in place to prevent commingling.
On the other hand, fewer than 10 percent of companies, big and small, were failing to comply with the record-keeping regulations.
The American Feed Industry Association in Arlington, Va., did not return phone calls seeking comment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/science/11COW.html
Subject: USDA/APHIS response to BSE-L--U.S. 50 STATE CONFERENCE CALL Jan. 9, 2001
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 14:04:21 -0500
From: "Gomez, Thomas M."
Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
######### Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
USDA/APHIS would like to provide clarification on the following point from Mr. Singeltary's 9 Jan posting regarding the 50 state conference call.
[Linda Detwiler asking everyone (me) not to use emergency BSE number, unless last resort. (i thought of calling them today, and reporting the whole damn U.S. cattle herd ;-) 'not']
Dr. Detwiler was responding to an announcement made during the call to use the FDA emergency number if anyone wanted to report a cow with signs suspect for BSE. Mr. Singeltary is correct that Dr. Detwiler asked participants to use the FDA emergency number as a last resort to report cattle suspect for BSE. What Mr. Singeltary failed to do was provide the List with Dr. Detwiler's entire statement. Surveillance for BSE in the United States is a cooperative effort between states, producers, private veterinarians, veterinary hospitals and the USDA. The system has been in place for over 10 years. Each state has a system in place wherein cases are reported to either the State Veterinarian, the federal Veterinarian in Charge or through the veterinary diagnostic laboratory system. The states also have provisions with emergency numbers. Dr. Detwiler asked participants to use the systems currently in place to avoid the possibility of a BSE-suspect report falling through the cracks. Use of the FDA emergency number has not been established as a means to report diseased cattle of any nature.
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Subject: Re: USDA/APHIS response to BSE-L--U.S. 50 STATE CONFERENCE CALL Jan.9, 2001
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 13:44:49 -0800
From: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr."
Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
To: BSE-L@uni-karlsruhe.de References: 1
######### Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
[TSS] yes, thank you, U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds?
[no answer, you could hear in the back ground, mumbling and 'we can't. have him ask the question again.]
[host Richard] could you repeat the question?
[TSS] U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds?
[not sure whom ask this] what group are you with?
[TSS] CJD Watch, my Mom died from hvCJD and we are tracking CJD world-wide.
[not sure who is speaking] could you please disconnect Mr. Singeltary
[TSS] you are not going to answer my question?
[not sure whom speaking] NO
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