Mad cow and related diseases: Challenges for waste management

Mad cow disease and related transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases (TSEs) in both animals and humans have received worldwide attention. Interestingly, the issue of managing biohazardous wastes, for which TSE agents are an issue, has received little attention by environmental professionals. The burial of wastes associated with mad cow and related diseases may eventually lead to unusual challenges for remediation professionals. The core challenge is that medical researchers have confirmed the incredible difficulty in destroying TSE infectious agents or pathogens, generally called prions. Risk reduction is certainly possible with treatment technologies, but complete elimination of risk by reliable and verifiable destruction of all TSE agents is probably infeasible. Proving the efficacy of any waste treatment method for TSE‐infected wastes is not practical because there is no commercially available test for TSE pathogens (although one is expected soon) and in only a few cases is there a reasonable surrogate approach. These circumstances have contributed to some biohazardous waste managers discounting the TSE issue. The goal of this article is to more thoroughly analyze available information and various risks to identify useful implications for alternative waste management technologies. A number of prudent actions can be taken in recognition of the TSE problem, including more careful assessment of treatment technologies, avoiding any reuse or recycling of waste treatment residues, using air pollution control systems to avoid releases of materials possibly containing infectious agents, and using wastewater pretreatment prior to sewer disposal.