Between December 2006 and July 2007, eleven workers at Quality Pork Processors, Inc. in Austin, Texas have been sickened with a neurological disorder, but the cause remains unknown. Five of the worker’s illnesses have been identified as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare disease that normally affects fewer than 2 people per 100,000.

CIDP is a chronic disease that results in nerve damage and could lead to disability. It is an inflammation of the nervous system that can cause muscle weakness, tingling sensations in the arms and legs, and pain over several months. Some workers who have been treated may experience “residual numbness or weakness after treatment.”

State officials said no evidence exists to indicate the public faces an increased risk, or that the food supply in the hog slaughtering and processing plant has been affected. CIDP is usually caused by a trigger that causes the immune system to attack the protective sheath that surrounds nerves.

Dr. Suraj Muley, associate professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota and an expert on the disease, has suggested that the Austin plant be shut down until the investigation of the illnesses is complete, but state officials said there is no significant reason to shut it down.

“All of the information we have to date indicates that the general public is not at increased risk for developing this type of illness,” said Sanne Magnan, state health commissioner. “There is no evidence that the food supply has been affected.”

The investigation began near the end of October 2007, when plant health officials reported an unusual pattern of symptoms restricted to one group of employees working in a single area of the plant. The part of production in which the group worked used compressed air to clear away unwanted brain tissue so meat in the heads of hogs could be removed. The sickened workers are different ages, genders and ethnic groups, and their work area was the only thing they all had in common.

The plant has continued to operate but has stopped using the compressed air, and has issued safety goggles and long-sleeves to wear. Most of the 11 sickened workers have returned to work, or had never left.

The state has said it will be widening its investigation to determine if other processing plants around the country have had similar problems or illnesses.

Source: Steve Alexander and Josephine Marcotty, “Rare illness sickens 11 at Austin pork plant,” Star Tribune, December 4, 2007.