- "Hopefully, we will have control over BSE and the
proteins that contain it. This way, society could freely use products we
love and eat food we crave."
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- Hello, Jeff - I SINCERELY doubt that we will have
control over BSE or the proteins that contain it. Well, at least in the
21 century.
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- As for products, such as leather goods or foods that
we are conditioned to crave, I can live, very nicely, without either leather
or steaks and hamburgers, thank you. I will pass on both.
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- I find it incredible that people seem nearly oblivious
about getting vCJD (the human form of mad cow disease) and
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- I also find leather goods obscene...and think synthetic
goods are just as good, if not better, than leather and/or fur. I also
do not think that corporate livestock farming is humane in ANY way, as
we both know.
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- Patty
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- Aluminum Fencing
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- 101 Things To Do With Cow Parts
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- Cows are usually thought of as a source of food or a
fabulous clothing accessory. Some of the most supple leathers in the world
come from cows and are used by the likes of Gucci, Prada, and Coach. Such
food products that generally come from cows are hamburger, steak, and milk.
What most consumers do not know is that all parts of the cow are utilized
for other products from the ears to the hoofs. Unfortunately, there are
many diseases that can be passed on through the many products that contain
cow parts. One of these diseases is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also
known as BSE. With the possibility of BSE in thousands of everyday products,
it could be detrimental to consumers.
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- In order to fully comprehend the impacts of mass parts
of cows being used and their threat to society, the background of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy must be explained and understood. BSE , as explained
by the Center for Disease Control (CDC 2002), is a progressive neurological
disorder of cattle that results from infection by an unconventional agent
(CDC). This agent is an abnormal protein in a cow called a prion (Klinkenborg).
This usually kills the animal. However, it can take years to incubate in
the cow.
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- The most infectious parts of the cow, when infected with
BSE, are the brain and spinal cord. Some of the less infectious parts but
still pose a potential risk are the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, spleen,
tonsils, placenta, lymph nodes, ileum, which is part of the colon, dura
matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (Klinkenborg).
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- When a cow is slaughtered, most of its meat is used for
human consumption. However, if you were to try to reconstruct a cow piece
by piece, you would have to look in places like your garden, medicine cabinet,
and parts of your car to find parts of the beast. When you go in your bathroom
and glance around at your toothpaste, shaving cream, shampoo, lotion and
soap. These all contain cow parts in some way, shape or form. When a woman
puts her makeup on in the morning she is possibly applying infected prions
along with her eyeshadow and lipstick. Zits may not be the worst of a teenager's
problem when he treats himself with his zit cream at night. He also could
be rubbing BSE into his face.
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- Herapin is a frequently prescribed anticoagulant drug.
Thousands of people take it everyday. This, however, is made from the lungs
and bovine mucosa of the cow; potential carrier parts of the infected protein
prion. The adrenal gland is used to make steroid drugs and the pancreas
is used to make insulin, a drug that millions of diabetics take on a daily
basis. The dura matter of a cow is also used as an implant in brain surgery
(Klinkenborg). This might seem alarming due to the fact that , as aforementioned,
the cow brain is a higher carrier of infected prions. Ultimately, we are
taking the infected brain of the cow and implanting it into human brains.
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- The brain and the spinal cord of the cow are not the
only sources to be concerned about when it comes to BSE. Tissues from the
brain and spinal cord can contaminate other parts of the cow. Stun guns
are usually used to neutralize the cows for the slaughter house. When the
cows are stunned, the pressure of the shock can potentially spread prions
from the brain tissue into other tissue areas of the body, which are in
turn used for thousands of products. However, the practice of cow stunning,
according to Dr. Tracy Hampton is now prohibited.
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- The number of cattle with BSE has reportedly declined,
according to MAFF, UK. The peak of infectious cows was in 1992, with 36,681.
As of 1996, only 7,202 were reported to be infected (Ratzan). This however
is only the reported number of cases, not the actual number of BSE infected
cows. There is of course the number of cows with BSE that were never caught.
These are the ones that could have potential infected consumers.
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- An obvious use for the cow is clothing. Everything from
shoes and purses to belts and jewelry can be made of leather. New York
based designer Marc Jacobs has designed a fashion staple of this supple
leather. The "Stella" bag, available in seven different colors,
retails for $1,200 (WWD). The leather is of the finest cows and it is said
that the cows used for these utilitarian bags are kept away from any sort
of barb wired fence, in order for their skin to be flawless. The skin of
a cow can be damaged if they are kept fenced in with barbed wire due to
the penetration of the skin if they rub against it. Thus decreasing the
quality of the leather. Maybe Marc Jacobs has made a portable and fashionable
version of BSE. As long as celebrities keep wearing them, they could be
free advertising for BSE.
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- Dogs could also be at risk for infected prions of cows.
Dog food contains a low amount of ground up cow parts, in order for it
to get its texture. Dogs also chew on everything from reconstructed cow
ribs to the hooves. According to the FDA, "cow components are often
used simply because cows are very large animals and there is much material
available". However, there is no data supporting the transmission
of BSE to dogs via dog food or chew toys.
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- Gelatin is a substance derived from the collagen of a
cow. Cosmetic uses could include beauty masks and protective creams. Sunscreens
also fall under this category. There are also some industrial uses for
gelatin. One use is money. Gelatin is bound into the coating of bills to
ensure its "crispness". There could now be a negative conatation
to a crisp new dollar bill. Gelatin is also used for the glues that are
used to make paper and cardboard. Your economics textbook might have BSE,
considering that the binding glue holding those pages together contains
gelatin as well (Klinkenborg).
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- Even though virtually every product a consumer uses has
some form of cow in it, the government assures the American public that
there is nothing to worry about. They stated that contracting BSE from
eating beef in the United States is highly unlikely (Hampton). However,
the USDA has instituted measures to decrease the risk to the public. Sick
cows are now banned from human consumption.
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- There are now safety measures being taken to ensure the
safety of humans and other animals of BSE. Meat from cows that have been
tested for BSE must be held until the tests that were taken have been confirmed
as negative (Hampton). There is also a new technology that will remove
the muscle tissue, an infectious part of the cow, from the bone of beef
carcuses, according to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. Veneman also
announced the appointment of an international panel to review the actions
that have been taken by the USDA and see if they are viable and effective.
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- Despite the scare of BSE via cows, most consumers have
not panicked to epidemic proportions. According to the Journal of the American
Medical Association, 17% of people polled said they cut back on meat consumption
due to BSE. Only 6% said it was a "crisis" and 12% said it was
not a problem (Hampton). There are still, however, some Americans who are
cautious when it comes to eating beef, especially in foreign countries.
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- In an excerpt of his book "The Trembling Mountain"
Dr. Robert Klitzman, and American doctor, was in England hiking with some
old British friends. After a long day of hiking they went to a restaurant
to have a well-deserved dinner. All of his companions ordered a large steak.
He was shocked and asked them if they were worried about mad cow disease,
a form of BSE. According to them, all the sick cows had been killed and
eating meat was a British tradition. Dr. Klitzman, however was aware of
the mass spread of BSE in England via cows. He is a prime example of a
cautious American in a foreign, meat eating country. However, according
to the Center for Disease Control, has told travelers to Europe that "..the
current risk of infection of BSE is extremely small, if at all".
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- Foreign farmers are making haste though, when it comes
to BSE cases. An estimated eight hundred cases were reported in the European
Union in one year after the BSE outbreak in Britain. Statisticians say,
however, that based on the rate of cases in Britain, the EU number of cases
should have been above two thousand (Rhodes). With the recurrence of the
disease and social concern, as well as loss of profit with import/export
beef, some countries took the better safe than sorry route. Many European
countries slaughtered entire herds with little or no monetary compensation
from the government when a single BSE case appeared. In France, they had
a "condition" called "tractor disease". This was when
the farmers got a cow with BSE, they would buy a tractor to dig a hole
and bury it.
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- Ultimately, every last scrap of cow gets used somewhere,
somehow. The blood of a cow and its cells are in many industrial and household
products (Klinkenborg). Plywood glues and adhesives have these cells in
them because it helps bind the molecules that make the adhesives stick.
Fertilizer for flowers also contains cells from the blood of cows. Many
gardeners do not even realize that they are sprinkling their gardens with
bovine serum from the blood of cows (Klinkenborg). Fatty acids are also
utilized in many products such as tires for cars and lawnmowers and candles.
The fatty acids used
- include oleic acid, azelaic acid, and stearic acid. Crayons
also have fatty acids of cow in them. This could be a potential risk to
children and might not make crayons "non-toxic" after all.
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- Fishing line, face wash, chewing gum, food packaging,
sweetener, antifreeze, synthentic oil, toothpaste, and sugar. These are
everyday items that all of us use. If one realized the mass amounts of
products they themselves were using with cow parts, they might think twice
about saying what a waste it is to eat a cow and then get rid of it. All
parts of a cow truly are used to make our everyday lives more convenient
and productive. However, with BSE a potential threat to humans and other
animals, it would be quite a task to eliminate or recall all of the products
with some sort of cow part in it. Hopefully, we will have control over
BSE and the proteins that contain it. This way, society could freely use
products we love and eat food we crave. For now though, we are to be cautious
of the meat we eat as well as its origin and continue to hope that farmers
and scientists can get this threat under control.
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- http://warlabrecords.com/blog/sorelglacierwomen/2010/12/09/aluminum-fencing/
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