More Pork-Processing Workers Sickened by Mysterious Disease

In a post dated December 6, 2007, we discussed the repercussions of a suspected autoimmune illness that was afflicting employees of a hog-processing plant in Minnesota with neurological symptoms. In an update to that story, it was reported recently that two workers at a pork facility in Indiana - which authorities refuse to identify - have developed similar signs that the CDC suspects may be linked to the cases in Minnesota.

Officials are downplaying the incident, and announcing that they are certain the condition is not life-threatening. I am a little confused as to how they can determine that if they do not even know what the diagnosis is. They also stated that the workers are being treated by their own personal physicians, as if that should bring comfort to the general public. Who else would treat them, their personal plumbers?

What is most disturbing, though, is that they insist on keeping the specific plant involved a secret. It seems to me that anyone who works in the industry, in addition to the public as a whole, should be fully informed about all the pertinent facts regarding the investigation. The media once again falls into line as a pawn in the governments agenda to protect corporate interests by mentioning in the article the economic considerations of the pork industry. Yes, the livelihoods of people are important, but the message between the lines is that financial issues outweigh concerns about health risks to workers or consumers of pork products. This story bears watching not only to see if any other workers become ill, but also to evaluate the methods that are used to manipulate and control information regarding the situation.


State probes illness of 2 meat plant workers
By Tom Spalding
tom.spalding@indystar.com
January 17, 2008

Two employees of an unidentified pig slaughterhouse in Indiana are being treated medically for symptoms similar to a suspected neurological illness that sickened 12 workers at a Minnesota pork plant.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the Indiana Department of Health in mid-December of a potential link, and state officials said today they are still trying to determine if there are any other workers at the plant who used a specific processing technique and might have exposed.

There are 30 hog plants in Indiana, and citing privacy concerns, the state will not reveal the name or location of the Indiana plant.

The illnesses here are not life-threatening, said Elizabeth Hart, a spokeswoman for the Indiana State Department of Health. The employees are seeking medical attention with their personal physicians.

She said it was unclear when those employees got sick, and that health officials in Indianapolis only became aware of the two illnesses during the first week in January. The Indiana workers symptoms included changes in sensation and weakness in their limbs.

"This is very, very new to us," Hart said.

After the Minnesota slaughterhouse illness was reported in December, the CDC looked into slaughtering practices in 25 large pork processing plants in 13 states, and found only two other plants - one in Indiana, the other in Nebraska - that used compressed air to remove pigs brains. Minnesota health officials said the pork plants in all three states, including Indiana, have voluntarily stopped the practice.

The Indiana pork industry employs more than 13,000 people, and generates an estimated $44 million of personal income and $3 billion to the Indiana economy each year, according to a Purdue University report. That same report supports the idea that Indiana is a prime state for pork production and expansion because it has an abundant feed supply, pork processing facilities within the state, available labor force, a large cropland base for manure utilization as fertilizer, and quick access to large consumer markets in Chicago and the East coast.

Gary Jacobson, president of Indiana Packers Corp. in Delphi, said today his company is not the plant involved, but has been in contact with CDC and is trying to stay informed on the issue to update employees.

Any facility that processes meat is going to encounter hazards, which is why safety gear is a must.

"People look like they are suit of armor when they go to work here," Jacobson said. The company has discontinued the practice of harvesting brains until "somebody has some kind of idea" what happened, he said. Harvesting brains are a small part of the practice.

In the Minnesota case, health officials initially suspect the workers were exposed to something in the brain tissue that triggered the illness. Officials are continuing to investigate, but so far they have not identified any viruses or bacteria that could be causing the disease. They have also ruled out chemical toxins.

Five of the 12 workers afflicted were initially diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or CIDP, a rare immune disorder that attacks the nerves and produces tingling, numbness and weakness in the arms and legs, sometimes causing lasting damage. But Minnesota officials later backed away from that diagnosis, saying additional tests showed none of the workers fit the precise diagnosis.

Minnesota state epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield said the discovery of the Indiana illness could help her investigation. That may help us figure out why these workers are getting sick, she said.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080117/LOCAL/801170512/0/NLETTER08