Theresa Gaasterland - Comment

Transmission of prions from cattle to human has been well established for active disease in cattle. Still unclear are transmission from cattle to human when disease remains "silent". The stomach and digestive system are closely connected to the brain through a rich neural network -- for example, the human stomach contains as many neurons in its lining as are in the brain of a cat. Allowing cattle digestive track tissues of any sort to be included in cattle feed or in processed foods or cosmetics intended for human use introduces unnecessary risk. We simply do not know the risk of transmission through digestive tract below the bovine ileum. To allow human use of these in the face of our ignorance puts many Americans at risk. My mother died at age 65 of sporadic CJD in 2006. "Sporadic" means: we do not know the trigger that started the prion degenerative process. It does not mean "random". She may have been exposed to contaminated material at a young age as a refugee in Germany after World War II. People ate many noxious substances to stay alive. She may have been exposed later in life in her 40's and 50's when she started using many cosmetic creams to ward off the wrinkles, sags and bags of age. No matter the cause, known, unknown or suspected, we as a society owe it to her and the ~400 others per year who die of sporadic CJD to protect everyone as best we can. This policy puts Americans at risk without need.