Revisiting mad cow risks

U.S. authorities have worked hard to reassure the public that the chance of anyone in this country contracting mad cow disease is extremely low.

But, as Wall Street Journal health columnist Tara Parker-Pope says, the risk still isn't as low as it could be.

North American nations haven't yet adopted the strictest safety standards that Europe has, Parker-Pope notes. And the practice of grinding up animal parts to feed other animals -- a common way to spread the disease -- hasn't been completely banned here.