就狂牛症而言，美國牛肉是極具爭議性的，即使在美國國內本身也是一樣。然而，美國政府卻以其經濟力量分別迫使南韓與臺灣於2008年與2009年進口包括特別危險部位如內臟與絞肉在內的美國牛肉，即使這兩國人民的反對聲浪高漲亦然。
為什麼這些民眾反對美國牛肉呢？下列問與答足以說明其原因。
問: 請問吃美國牛肉（包括內臟與絞肉）得到狂牛症的機率低到趨近於零嗎？
答: 錯。用來計算得病機率所依據的資料是：美國只有過三頭病牛，但這個依據不可能是正確的，因為：
1. 受到感染的牛在被檢驗出狂牛症之前就被宰殺了。感染狂牛症的牛通常要等到兩歲以後才能被檢驗出來，但是「比較年輕的牛隻是會被傳染而且具有傳染力的，然而牠們在開始出現症狀前就會被宰殺供人類食用了。」[1]
2. 美國使用錯誤的統計方法。不像日本全面檢驗每一隻牛，美國政府從未對美國牛進行全面普查，連強制性的隨機抽檢都沒有，而只檢查由業者自行採樣與提報的牛隻。[2]
3. 美國曾企圖隱匿狂牛症疫情。「Lester Friedlander先生是美國農業部的前任獸醫員， …他說，在1990年代初期，當他向美國農業部的首席病理學家提及狂牛症時，發生了下列的對話：『Lester，如果你發現了狂牛症案例，請答應我一件事情？』他被如此問道。他回問：『答應你什麼？』『答應我你不會告訴任何人。』Friedlander先生說他願意接受測謊來證實他的故事。他的結論是：『一旦我聽到他這麼說之後，我就明白了這整個牛隻檢驗作業只不過是個笑話。』」[3]
問: 請問如果我只吃30個月齡以下的美國牛肉（包括內臟與絞肉）就安全了嗎？
答: 錯。雖然感染狂牛症的牛通常要等到兩歲後才會發病，但沒有發病、看似健康的牛也會有狂牛症。美國發現的第一頭狂牛症病牛，就是一隻看似健康的牛，之所以會被送去檢測，完全是巧合，美國農業部人員還企圖阻止牧場員工爆料。[4]
問: 請問目前為止沒有任何人吃美國牛肉而感染新庫賈氏症（人類感染狂牛症導致的疾病）嗎？
答: 錯。美國第一位被證實因狂牛症致死的病患於過世前在美國住了十幾年，吃了十幾年的美國牛肉。[5] 此外，有許多美國人可能已潛伏感染狂牛症但尚未發病，或者已發病但沒有被提報，因為有學者研究指出美國可能有許多被診斷為散發性海綿狀腦症的病患其實是狂牛症所導致的，但此病極易被誤診為阿茲海默症，而且，「美國疾病管制局並沒有實施全國性的規範來要求醫師與醫院提報此病的病人。」[6]
問: 請問國際議定書可以不必經過國會或人民的同意就生效嗎？
答: 錯。例如美國在柯林頓政府時代，美國政府代表於1998年11月12日在日本簽訂的「京都議定書」（用來管制溫室氣體排放量的約定）因為被當時的美國參議院否決而沒有在美國生效。[7]
問: 請問政府實施國內的行政管制措施能阻止美國牛內臟絞肉流入市面嗎？
答: 錯。美國牛內臟絞肉不會出現在市面上，但會出現在「市面下」。一旦合法入境後，能以各種魚目混珠的方法進到消費者口中，反正潛伏期很久，消費者吃了之後，並不像急性腸胃炎會馬上發現。等過幾年發病之後，已經無法確認因果關係與追究商家責任了。
問: 請問如果我選擇不要吃美國牛肉就安全了嗎？
答: 錯。美國牛肉與別國牛肉無法輕易分辨，美國牛骨可被店家拿來熬湯，美國牛內臟絞肉更能混入各種加工食品（例如火腿、貢丸、素料等），或者被製成飼料餵食牛、豬、雞、鴨、魚進而污染食物鏈，一旦污染物質被拿來施肥則會污染土壤，連吃青菜都會有事。此外，狂牛症變性蛋白更已被證實會經由人與人之間的輸血傳染，使得整個醫療體系皆暴露在風險之中。
下列第一則影片是關於美國牛肉如何被生產出來的動畫。第二則影片是關於一位臺灣學生吃牛糞抗議美國牛肉內臟與絞肉進口的故事。
The US beef is very controversial in regard to mad cow disease even in the US itself. However, the US government has used its economical power to force South Korea and Taiwan to import its beef including particularly dangerous parts such as internal organs and mince (ground beef) respectively in 2008 and 2009, regardless of the groundswell of opposition from the people of these two countries.
Why do these people oppose the US beef? The following questions and answerings say it all.
Q: The probability of getting mad cow disease from eating the US beef (including internal organs and mince) is so low that it can be considered as zero?
A: False. The calculation of the probability is based on the data that the US has only had three cases of mad cow disease in the herd. However, the data cannot be true due to the following reasons:
1. The infected cattle are slaughtered before their disease can be detected. Usually, the mad cow disease can only be detected after the cattle are more than two years old. Nevertheless, “younger cattle could be infected and infectious, but be slaughtered for human consumption before they started showing symptoms.” [1]
2. The statistical method used by the US government is inadequate. Unlike Japan, which inspects all of their cattle, the US government has never done any census or any obligated random sampling to detect the disease. Instead, it only inspects the cattle sampled and reported by the industry itself. [2]
3. The US has intended to conceal mad cow cases. “Mr. Friedlander is a former veterinarian with the U.S. Department of Agriculture … In the early 1990s, he said he was speaking to the USDA’s chief pathologist about mad cow when the following exchange took place: ‘Lester, if you ever find mad cow disease, promise me one thing?’ he was asked. ‘What’s that?’ he responded. ‘Don’t tell anybody.’ Mr. Friedlander says he would take a lie-detector test to back up his story. ‘Once I heard that, then I knew this whole thing was a joke,’ he concluded.” [3]
Q: It will be safe as long as I only eat the US beef (including internal organs and mince) from the cattle under 30 months old?
A: False. Although the symptoms of mad cow disease usually will not show up until the infected cattle are more than two years old, the cattle without symptoms could have been infected already. In fact, the first confirmed US case of mad cow disease was “a perfectly good walking cow”. It was “just a fluke” that the cow was sent to be tested. The USDA agents even intended to stop the whistle-blowing of the cattle hand who actually killed the cow in question. [4]
Q: So far there is no one infected with Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD, the illness of human infected with mad cow disease) from eating the US beef?
A: False. The first confirmed US patient of vCJD had dwelled in the US and eaten the US beef for around ten years before she died from this disease. [5] Besides, there could be a lot of people in the US infected with this disease without showing up any symptoms yet or even died from it without being reported. It has been pointed out by some researchers that there could be a lot of patients who were diagnosed with ‘Sporadic’ CJD but actually infected with mad cow disease. However, Sporadic CJD is particularly easy to be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, “the CDC has refused to impose a national requirement that physicians and hospitals report cases of the disease.” [6]
Q: International protocols can be implemented without being ratified by Congress or citizens?
A: False. For example, in the US, when Bill Clinton was President, a Clinton Administration official signed the Kyoto Protocol (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) on November 12, 1998. Nevertheless, the protocol was not implemented due to its failure of being ratified by the Senate. [7]
Q: The internal regulations implemented by the administration can stop the US beef (including internal organs and mince) from flowing to markets?
A: False. The US beef (including internal organs and mince) may not show up on the market but may turn up on the black market. Once it has been imported legally, it can be eaten by consumers through various concealed ways. Unlike intestinal and stomach troubles, the disease will not be found out immediately by consumers since the incubation is too long to investigate any sources or responsibilities.
Q: It will be safe as long as I don’t choose to eat the US beef?
A: False. The US beef can not be easily distinguished from other countries’ beef. The bone of the US beef can be used to simmer for soup. The internal organs and mince of the US beef can be mixed into various processed foods (such as ham, meat balls and veggie burgers) or processed into forage for cattle, pigs, chickens, ducks, and fish so as to contaminate food chains. Once the contaminants are used as fertilizer, the soil will also be contaminated and then even eating vegetables will be dangerous as well. Besides, it has also been confirmed that the variant prion protein is also transmissible through blood transfusion so that the whole medical system will be in danger as well.
The first video below is an animation about how the US beef is produced. The second video is about a Taiwanese student who ate cow dung to protest against the import of the US beef including internal organs and mince.
參照 Reference
[1] Greger, Michael. “USDA Measures Don’t Go Far Enough to Protect the American Public.” 2003. http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/greger123103a.cfm
[2] Food and Drug Administration. “Meeting of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies advisory committee.” 2006. http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/1006-4240t1.htm
[3] Egan, Kelly. “U.S. hiding mad cow cases: Expert.” 2005. http://www.healthcoalition.ca/usabse.pdf
[4] Bonné, Jon. “Was diseased cow indeed a ‘downer?’” 2004. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4198248
[5] Falco, Miriam. “Woman thought to have human form of mad cow disease dies.” 2004. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/06/21/madcow.patient/
[6] Mitchell, Steve. “Mad cow causes BOTH ‘Sporadic’ CJD and vCJD.” 2003. http://www.rense.com/general47/spor.htm
[7] Antonelli, Angela and Brett D. Schaefer. “Why the Kyoto Signing Signals Disregard For Congress.” 1998. http://www.heritage.org/research/energyandenvironment/em559.cfm
