Pig brain mist linked to nerve problems

MINNEAPOLIS (AP, Lancet) -- - Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have reported on their study of a mysterious illnesses in slaughterhouse workers in Indiana and Mininesota.

In 2008, Indiana Packers Corporation at Delphi voluntarily suspended the processing of pig brains, until health officials determined whether it has a connection to neurological illnesses in employees.

Three workers from Indiana participated in the study, and the other 21 were from Minnesota. Both plants used a powerful compressed air system to remove brain tissue from pig heads.

The report, in the British medical journal Lancet Neurology, found that a mist of pig brain tissue inhaled by the workers triggered their immune systems to attack the workers' own nervous systems. Two workers at one of the plants studied may have permanent neurological damage, six recovered on their own, and the rest got immune system treatments.