>> Narrator: TRUCKERS LIKE YOU HELP PREVENT A SERIOUS THREAT
THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE A FATAL DISEASE
IN AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IT COULD RESULT IN SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE U.S. ECONOMY.
BUT IT'S A HAZARD YOU CAN HELP PREVENT.
THE DANGER IS BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY, OR BSE.
NOW, IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST PEOPLE, YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER
HEARD OF BSE -- THAT'S WHAT SCIENTISTS CALL IT.
HOWEVER, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THAT YOU HAVE HEARD IT BY
ANOTHER NAME -- MAD COW DISEASE.
THEY'RE ONE AND THE SAME.
EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF IT, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW
MUCH ABOUT THE DISEASE OR HOW IT ORIGINATED.
SO WHERE DID BSE COME FROM?
THIS IS THE UNITED KINGDOM, IN THE EARLY 1990s,
AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS BSE CRISIS.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CATTLE WERE SLAUGHTERED
TO STOP ITS SPREAD.
SCIENTISTS HAVE LINKED BSE WITH A SIMILAR BRAIN DISEASE IN
PEOPLE, AND MORE THAN 180 PEOPLE HAVE DIED, WITH EVEN MORE
DEATHS EXPECTED.
THE BEST SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE INDICATES ONE CAUSE
WAS FROM EATING FOOD CONTAMINATED WITH BSE.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.
THOUGH THE PROBLEM WAS, FOR THE MOST PART, RESTRICTED TO
THE UNITED KINGDOM, IT SPREAD TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
MORE RECENTLY, A NUMBER OF CASES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN CANADA
AND THE UNITED STATES.
HOW IS BSE SPREAD?
SCIENTISTS CONCLUDED THAT BSE WAS SPREAD BY FEEDING
CONTAMINATED MEAT AND BONE MEAL TO CATTLE.
PART OF THE PROBLEM WAS THAT SIGNS OF BSE DIDN'T SHOW UP
RIGHT AWAY IN INFECTED COWS.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE DISEASE DEVELOPS GRADUALLY, TAKING FOUR
TO FIVE YEARS BEFORE INFECTED ANIMALS DISPLAY SIGNS
OF BEING SICK.
DURING THAT LONG PERIOD OF TIME, OFFICIALS IN
THE UNITED KINGDOM WEREN'T AWARE THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG.
CONSEQUENTLY, MORE AND MORE CATTLE BECAME INFECTED.
THEN IT WAS TOO LATE.
BSE BEGAN TO SHOW ITSELF, THREATENING THE UNITED KINGDOM'S
LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY, ITS NATIONAL ECONOMY,
AND ITS PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO WHAT DOES BSE HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?
ALTHOUGH ONLY A FEW CASES OF BSE HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN
THE UNITED STATES, BSE IS STILL A CONCERN.
TO PREVENT AN OUTBREAK OF BSE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT SPECIFIC
PROCEDURES BE FOLLOWED BY EVERYONE WHO IS INVOLVED IN
OUR NATION'S FOOD SUPPLY, INCLUDING TRUCKERS LIKE YOU
WHO TRANSPORT FEED MATERIALS.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.
FOR STARTERS, THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT HAS IMPLEMENTED STRINGENT IMPORT CONTROLS TO TRY
TO KEEP MATERIALS THAT MIGHT CONTAIN BSE OUT OF THIS COUNTRY.
AS A FURTHER SAFEGUARD, THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
PROHIBITS MEAT AND BONE MEAL AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS FROM
MAMMALS LIKE CATTLE AND SHEEP FROM BEING FED BACK TO CATTLE
AND OTHER RUMINANTS.
WHAT'S A RUMINANT?
WELL, COWS, SHEEP, DEER, AND ELK ARE RUMINANTS.
THEY SHARE ONE TRAIT IN COMMON --
THEY CHEW THEIR CUD.
MEAT AND BONE MEAL MATERIALS THAT COME FROM RUMINANTS,
HOWEVER, AREN'T COMPLETELY PROHIBITED.
THEY CAN STILL BE FED SAFELY TO OTHER ANIMALS, LIKE DOGS,
HOGS, AND CHICKENS.
THOSE SPECIES DON'T DEVELOP BSE.
BUT AGAIN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL DERIVED FROM RUMINANTS CANNOT
BE FED BACK TO RUMINANTS.
THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN.
AS A TRUCKER, IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT
YOUR TRUCK IS CLEANED BETWEEN SHIPMENTS OF FEED CONTAINING
MEAT AND BONE MEAL OR OTHER MATERIALS FROM MAMMALS
AND FEED FOR CATTLE AND OTHER RUMINANTS, TO AVOID
CROSS-CONTAMINATION.
THAT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO PREVENTING BSE.
UNFORTUNATELY, ONLY ONE INCIDENT COULD CREATE A MAJOR PROBLEM.
AS A TRUCKER WHO REGULARLY HAULS FEED PRODUCTS,
YOU CAN HELP PREVENT BSE.
FIRST, YOU SHOULD FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE HAULING.
LOOK CLOSELY AT SHIPPING DOCUMENTS AND PRODUCT LABELS TO
SEE IF YOU'RE CARRYING PRODUCTS PROHIBITED FROM BEING
FED TO RUMINANTS.
HOW CAN YOU TELL?
JUST CHECK THE BILL OF LADING OR PRODUCT LABEL TO SEE IF IT
CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT --
FDA REQUIRES THAT THIS STATEMENT BE PRESENT IF THE PRODUCT IS NOT
TO BE FED TO RUMINANTS.
IF YOU SEE THIS STATEMENT, THE LAW REQUIRES THAT YOUR TRUCK BE
CLEANED THOROUGHLY, WHETHER IT'S A HOPPER-BOTTOM
OR A DUMP TRAILER, BEFORE YOU HAUL FEED FOR RUMINANTS, EVEN
THOUGH YOU'RE ANXIOUS TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD.
HERE'S WHY.
THE AGENT THAT CAUSES BSE CAN BE PASSED ON THROUGH JUST ONE
GRAM OF INFECTIOUS MATERIAL.
WELL, THAT'S NOT MUCH AT ALL.
IN FACT, THIS IS WHAT A GRAM LOOKS LIKE.
SO EVEN A MINUTE QUANTITY OF INFECTIOUS MATERIAL
COULD SPREAD BSE.
THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO PROPERLY CLEAN YOUR VEHICLE.
THAT ALSO APPLIES IF YOU'RE TRANSPORTING SUCH
PRODUCTS IN BAGS OR OTHER TYPES OF PACKAGES, SINCE THEY CAN
TEAR, SPILLING PART OF THEIR CONTENTS.
A TRUCK HAULING THEM NEEDS TO BE CLEANED JUST AS CAREFULLY AS ONE
THAT'S USED FOR BULK LOADS.
IF YOU WORK FOR A TRUCKING COMPANY, YOUR BOSS SHOULD
PROVIDE YOU WITH A SET OF CLEAN-OUT PROCEDURES.
IF HE HASN'T, ASK FOR IT.
IF YOU'RE AN INDEPENDENT TRUCKER, YOU'LL NEED TO DECIDE
WHAT CLEAN-OUT METHODS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE.
AT THE END OF THIS VIDEO, YOU'LL LEARN WHERE TO GO FOR
HELP WHEN DOING THAT.
THERE ARE SEVERAL METHODS THAT CAN BE USED WHEN CLEANING
A TRUCK, EITHER SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION.
THE MOST COMMON PROCEDURES INVOLVE SOME PHYSICAL MEANS OF
REMOVING FEED FROM YOUR TRUCK.
FOR EXAMPLE, THOROUGHLY SWEEPING WITH A BROOM.
THIS MAY TAKE UNDER TEN MINUTES, WHICH ISN'T A LOT OF TIME,
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
OTHER CLEAN-OUT TECHNIQUES INVOLVE VACUUMING,
WASHING, OR USING FLUSH MATERIALS.
SWEEPING IS A FAST AND RELIABLE WAY TO MAKE SURE NOTHING IS LEFT
OVER FROM THE PREVIOUS LOAD.
BE SURE TO DO IT THOROUGHLY.
REMEMBER, IT JUST TAKES A SMALL AMOUNT OF CONTAMINATED MATERIAL
TO SPREAD BSE.
VACUUMING IS ALSO AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF REMOVING ANY REMAINING
MATERIALS.
WASHING IS EFFECTIVE, BUT THIS METHOD ISN'T USED VERY OFTEN.
THAT'S BECAUSE WASHING A TRUCK TAKES MORE TIME AND REQUIRES
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT.
PLUS, THE TRUCK SHOULD BE DRY BEFORE BEING RELOADED.
FOR FEED TRAILERS OR CONVEYANCES WITH AUGURING EQUIPMENT, USING
FLUSH MATERIALS LIKE GROUND CORN AND SOYBEAN MEAL IS ALSO
EFFECTIVE, BUT THIS TECHNIQUE
ISN'T THAT COMMON FOR TRUCKS, EITHER.
THE REASON IS THAT YOU NEED A LARGE QUANTITY OF FLUSH
MATERIALS TO ADEQUATELY CLEAN THE TRUCK.
PLUS, AFTER THE FLUSH MATERIALS HAVE BEEN USED, THEY NEED TO BE
LABELED WITH THE REQUIRED STATEMENT AND CAN'T BE FED TO
CATTLE OR OTHER RUMINANTS.
FINALLY, I REALIZE THAT THE ONLY TIME YOU MAKE MONEY IS WHEN
YOU'RE BEHIND THE WHEEL, NOT WHEN YOU'RE CLEANING OUT
YOUR TRAILER.
IF BSE BECAME A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE U.S., IT WOULD
HURT EVERYBODY, INCLUDING TRUCKERS LIKE YOU.
U.S. CONSUMERS WOULD BE ALARMED, WHICH WOULD HURT THE FEED AND
MEAT INDUSTRIES.
EXPORT MARKETS FOR U.S. BEEF COULD SUFFER LONG-TERM DAMAGE,
AS HAS HAPPENED IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
AND ALL THAT COULD SERIOUSLY AFFECT YOUR LIVELIHOOD.
IT'S IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO TAKE THE TIME TO COMPLETELY
CLEAN YOUR TRUCK BETWEEN MAKING DELIVERIES OF RUMINANT AND
NON-RUMINANT FEED.
NOT ONLY IS IT THE LAW, BUT IT'S ABOUT SAFEGUARDING YOUR
LIVELIHOOD AND PROTECTING OUR NATION'S ECONOMY.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR HEALTH AND THE
HEALTH OF ALL AMERICANS.
NO ONE WANTS BSE IN THE UNITED STATES,
IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
BUT EVERYONE MUST PLAY HIS OR HER PART, INCLUDING YOU.
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BSE, TALK TO THE FEED MILL
MANAGER, THE INGREDIENT SUPPLIERS YOU TAKE SHIPMENTS
FROM, OR CHECK IN WITH THE FDA AT www.fda.gov/cvm.
REMEMBER, DO YOUR PART.
CLEAN YOUR TRUCK.
PREVENT BSE FROM GETTING A FOOTHOLD IN THE UNITED STATES.
HEY, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME