So there I was Christmas Eve, up late watching news, wrapping presents and trying not to worry.
The top story was the cancellation of six Air France flights. It should have come as good news. If U.S. counter-terrorism officials were right, the unprecedented action may have stopped a terrorist attack somewhere near Los Angeles.
Good news? It made me mighty uneasy. My daughter had just flown home from London. Right after New Year’s, she’ll be in the air again.
The other big news Wednesday was mad cow disease. It was no cheery headline greeting Herald readers that day: "Mad cow scare in state."
A world map on the late news showed all the countries shutting U.S. beef out of their markets. Hours earlier, my family had gathered around a candlelit table for a Christmas Eve dinner of beef, steamed clams, wild rice and Caesar salad. At my house, we’re unapologetic meat eaters.
I’m not here to say "don’t worry." I worry.
A year ago, it was West Nile virus. Last January, the Everett City Council was approving plans to put mosquito-larva killer in ponds. Some people — more than 200 — have died of the virus in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some also have died of the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The neurological disorder known as mad cow disease has killed 143 people in Britain and 10 elsewhere outside the United States.
We worry about these things, just as we have feared shoe bombers on planes, anthrax sent through the mail, the spread of lethal Ebola from Africa and E.coli in fast-food burgers.
Mad cow disease is only the latest headline-grabbing danger.
"They’ve lost people in the U.K., a little over 100 people. We lose 20,000 every year to flu," said Bob Pekich, director of environmental health with the Snohomish Health District.
But Pekich isn’t saying don’t worry, either.
Even before last week’s news that mad cow disease was found in a cow from Eastern Washington, Pekich took precautions with beef.
"A couple years ago my wife went to Costco and bought a huge mixer and grinder. We grind our own ground beef," he said. "That’s what I’ve done personally. Is that good science? I don’t know."
The most dangerous parts of the cow are brain and spinal tissue, where the BSE proteins resides. The U.S. government bans that tissue in meat, but beef cut close to the bone and processed products such as hamburger have been found to contain traces of central nervous system tissue.
When I told Pekich about my Christmas Eve menu, he said I was probably at more risk from the clams than the beef.
"Once I ate clams in a restaurant, and by 9:30 that night I was in the emergency room. Beef has never done that to me," he said.
Now I should worry about clams?
That wasn’t Pekich’s point. We’re both here to say that the biggest risks are so common we hardly notice them.
"Look at statistics; it puts things in perspective," Pekich said. "Stop smoking. Lose weight. Wash your hands, and after you wash them, wash them again."
The health district’s Web site has the top 10 causes of death in Snohomish County for 2001, the latest year listed. Heart disease is the top killer, followed by cancer, stroke, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, suicide, liver disease and vehicle crashes.
"What kills people are behaviors," Pekich said. "Tobacco is number one, and obesity is a close second."
People are without a doubt concerned about the mad cow scare, which Pekich thinks will prompt more stringent testing of cattle.
"We’ve certainly had inquiries, mostly from our restaurant customers asking about our beef," said Jim Horton, owner of Goetz Western Meat in Everett.
The business, which deals mostly with restaurants and institutional clients, sent out a bulletin answering questions about mad cow disease and telling customers that the bulk of its meat comes from Midwestern grain-fed cattle.
"It’s way too early to see how this is going to play out," Pekich said. He expects the United States will follow Britain in testing all cattle 30 months and older. And he fears the economic impact.
"You saw those export markets shutting down. It has the potential to be devastating for agriculture," he said. "It’s worrisome, and it comes along with all this other stuff."
From the early flu season to international terrorism, there’s plenty of "other stuff" to fear. Chances are, that stuff won’t kill you. Pay attention instead to the everyday stuff.
"Try to have a good life," said Pekich, urging sensible habits from watching your diet to getting some exercise. "You can do yourself some good. And how much good can you do for yourself worrying?"
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com.
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