If a human body dies of a prion disease (mad cow like prion proteins), and states now allow the dead bodies to be chemically liquified and disposed of into the waste water system, do the prions survive the filtration and chemical purification process of the water? Will this cause prion proteins to spread to other humans by drinking that processed water?
It is my understanding that if someone in a hospital is operated on who has mad cow all the stainless steel instruments need to be thrown away because they cannot guarantee they won't infect another person even after sterilization. Seems to me if prion proteins are so persistent to survive this medical sterilization process, it might be logical to assume they would survive the alkaline solution that liquifies the dead body, the filtration, and the chlorine municipalities use to "clean" the waste water. I would really like to know for sure. Are we all at risk?