KEITH BROCK MARION CO. SOLID WASTE & ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR

ANIMAL CARCASS REMOVAL HISTORY & ISSUES PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF PRION DISEASES

PRION DISEASE WHAT IS IT?

KNOWN AS TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES (TSE’S)

TSEs INCLUDE: CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE (CWD) – FREE-RANGING DEER & ELK BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCHEPHALOPATHY (BSE) MAD COW DISEASE SCRAPIE (SHEEP) CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE & KURU (PEOPLE)

TSEs ANIMAL & HUMAN BRAIN DISEASES & ARE UNIFORMLY FATAL WITH LONG INCUBATION PERIOD

TSEs ARE NOT VIRUSES ARE NOT BACTERIA THEY ARE…

PROTEIN PIECES

WHAT?? IF THE “T” IN TSE STANDS FOR “TRANSMISSIBLE” THEN… HOW CAN YOU TRANSMIT AN INFECTIOUS PROTEIN??

HERE’S THE LATEST FROM PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS**… **”The Public Health Impact of Prion Diseases” Annual Review of Public Health 2005

“…Prion diseases do not characteristically elicit an immune response by the host, and the mechanism of brain damage is poorly understood”. Further…”investigators believe the etilogic agents of TSEs are abnormal conformers of a host-encoded cellular protein known as prion protein”.

OK…Can I contract these diseases by eating tainted meat??? ….AND THE ANSWER IS

WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE!! **However…”cross-species transmission of prion diseases seems to be limited by an apparent “species barrier”.** BUT….

“…More than 80 people died in Britain from eating mad cow-tainted meat. Most were infected even as the government assured the public that the disease could not affect them. At the time the initial cases occurred, cow by-products were fed to other cows, contributing to the spread of the disease. The practice was stopped in 1989”. * *Infoplease/dangerous diseases/mad cow disease

BASED UPON THE WORLDWIDE CONCERN FOR THE FOOD SUPPLY EARLY 2009 SAW FDA PROPOSING TO ENACT THE “ENHANCED FEED BAN”

THE ENHANCED FEED BAN WOULD REQUIRE RENDERING FACILITIES TO REMOVE CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE CARCASSES OF DEAD ANIMALS AND TO INCREASE TESTING AND IMPROVE METHODS OF DISPOSAL OF RENDERED PARTS

THE PRIMARY RENDERING AND COLLECTION CONTRACTORS IN KENTUCKY NOTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAT THE COST OF SERVICING WOULD AT LEAST DOUBLE WHEN THE RULE CAME INTO EFFECT! COMPANIES THAT SERVICE KENTUCKY ARE: NATION BROTHERS – SHELBYVILLE & GRIFFIN INDUSTRIES – SEVERAL OFFICES

MARION COUNTY FISCAL COURT COST OF COLLECTION & DISPOSAL (PREVIOUS YEARS) Nation Brothers-Shelbyville 2006 – 1432 ANIMALS = $40, – 1508 ANIMALS = $41, – 1598 ANIMALS = $43, (AVERAGE = $27.54 PER ANIMAL)

TRADITIONALLY… MARION COUNTY COST OF DISPOSAL FREE TO LANDOWNER & PAID FROM GENERAL FUND TO NATION BROTHERS CONTRACTOR

DOUBLING OF COLLECTION COST COUPLED WITH ANNUAL INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF ANIMALS COULD BE… A SERIOUS BUDGETRY PROBLEM!! PLUS…

NATION BROTHERS INFORMED MARION COUNTY THAT THE FIRM WAS CLOSING THE COLLECTION AND RENDERING BUSINESS DUE INCREASED COSTS OF PROCESSING THE CARCASSES!!! COLLECTION EQUIPMENT WOULD BE FOR SALE!

FISCAL COURT ASKED ME… WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO??? AND I SAID…!!!! (AFTER SOME RESEARCH)

WE NEED TO GO TO SHELBYVILLE AND PURCHASE A TRUCK FROM NATION BROTHERS AND GET INTO THE COLLECTION BUSINESS!

THE PURCHASE OF A TRUCK FOR USE IN MARION COUNTY WOULD BUY ME TIME TO FIND A BETTER SOLUTION TO THE DEAD ANIMAL PICKUP PROBLEM. ALSO, MARION COUNTY HAS AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH NELSON COUNTY THAT INCLUDES LANDFILL DISPOSAL OF CARCASSES.

MY PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENTALIST INVOLVED MANY NUISANCE INVESTIGATIONS REGARDING DEAD ANIMAL CARCASSES. I KNEW THE RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT PROVIDING SOME SORT OF COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL IN MARION COUNTY! SO…THE MARION COUNTY FISCAL COURT… MY PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENTALIST INVOLVED MANY NUISANCE INVESTIGATIONS REGARDING DEAD ANIMAL CARCASSES. I KNEW THE RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT PROVIDING SOME SORT OF COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL IN MARION COUNTY! SO…THE MARION COUNTY FISCAL COURT…

BOUGHT A TRUCK!

2010 REPORTED NUMBERS MARION COUNTY DEAD ANIMAL REMOVAL JANUARY-DECEMBER CATTLE (COWS/CALVES ) HORSESPIGSALPACADOGS/CATS TOTAL NUMBER INDIVIDUAL TRIPS LOGGED TO COLLECT CARCASS 622 TOTAL REVENUE REPORTED ($20) PER TRIP $13, DEAD ANIMAL REMOVAL COST OF COLLECTION & DISPOSAL NELSON CO. LANDFILL

2010 DEAD ANIMAL REMOVAL COST OF COLLECTION & DISPOSAL NELSON CO. LANDFILL AVERAGE LOAD SIZE PER TRIP = Tons/5.08 CubicYds AVERAGE COSTOF DISPOSAL PER TRIP TO LANDFILL = $45.52 AVERAGE MONTHLY COST OF OPERATION-TRUCK = $ TOTAL ACCUMULATED TRUCK MILES (20 Months of Operation) = 36,904 Miles AVERAGE MONTHLY MILEAGE-TRUCK (Animal Collection) = 1845 Miles (22,140 Annually) DISTANCE TO NELSON COUNTY LANDFILL (Round Trip) – 66 Miles Annual Mileage Breakdown 10,260 Miles Annually Used For In-County Collection (46.34%) 11,880 Miles Annually For Transport To Landfill (53.66%) TRUCK MPG FUEL USEAGE = 7.4 MPG AVERAGE EMPLOYEE TIME USED (Animal Collection/Disposal Activity) = 90% TOTAL TRIPS TO LANDFILL TOTAL TONNNAGE DISPOSED TOTAL CUBIC YARDS DISPOSED COST OF ENVIRON. REMED. TOTAL COST OF DISPOSAL $ $499.28$

THE FUTURE PRION DISEASES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE. BOTH ANIMAL AND HUMAN PRION ISSUES WILL INCREASINGLY COME TO THE FORE FRONT METHODS OF DISPOSAL OF ANIMAL CARCASSES (SUCH AS COMPOSTING) WILL, OF NECESSITY, NEED TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT

SINCE 4% OF THE AVAILABLE WORLD LAND SURFACE IS USED TO FEED THE CURRENT POPULATION OF 7 BILLION A SAFE HUMAN AND ANIMAL FOOD SUPPLY IS CRITICAL TO OUR SURVIVAL! “WHERE’S THE CREEK” DISPOSAL MENTALITY IS NO LONGER AN OPTION…THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE LIVING IN THE NEST!

ANSWERS WILL NOT BE SIMPLE!