Food Illness Archive

How much does Foodborne Illness cost the US? Take a guess…

March 9th, 2010. By AbiK

A whopping $152 billion each year. Yes, $152 BILLION.

So says a report conducted by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University that’s titled Health-Related Costs From Foodborne Illness in the United States (3/3/10). The $152 billion reflects not only health-related costs such as physician services, hospital services and medicines but also what’s referred to as “quality-of-life losses”—i.e., deaths, pain, suffering and disability.

According to an article at healthfinder.gov, the magnitude of the cost comes from the sheer number of individuals affected each year by foodborne illness: an estimated 76 million Americans—of which about 5,000 die.

Some more stats from the report:

Costs by pathogen: Campylobacter: >$18.8 billion; Salmonella: $14.6 billion; Listeria: $8.8 billion.

Biggest culprit: Produce. Think spinach, lettuce… 39% of E. coli outbreaks were due to produce regulated by the FDA.

States with highest foodborne illness-related costs: California, Texas, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania.

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Pollution on Tap

December 17th, 2009. By Hunter West

You would think that a developed nation with the size, strength and clout of the United States of America would excel at the basic provision of clean drinking water for its citizens. Indeed, when Americans see images of under-developed countries around the world, with residents having to grapple with filthy sources of water for drinking, washing and bathing—our hearts go out to them. 

Little do most Americans know that such images hit just a little closer to home. 

The Clean Water Act passed in 1972 was an attempt to upgrade the nation’s aging sewer system. Over two decades in the 1980s and 1990s more the $60 billion was distributed by Congress to various cities and municipalities around the country in an attempt to shore up antiquated sewers. 

But it doesn’t seem to have helped. According to a recent New York Times investigation, sewers around the country are frequently overwhelmed resulting in raw sewage spilling into waterways. 

In the last three years alone, according to the Times investigation, more than 9,400 of the 25,000 sewage systems that exist in the US have reported violations via the dumping of Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: New York Times water study, Tap Water, Water Pollution
Posted in Environment, Food Illness | 1 Comment »

Contaminated Chicken – Not a Paltry Affair

December 7th, 2009. By LucyC

Here’s some rather unappetizing news—just in time for the holiday season. The results of a study that will be published in the upcoming edition of Consumer Reports, were being floated around the Internet last week, results which show that two thirds of store bought chickens are contaminated with pathogens that could make you very ill.

Apparently we should be grateful for this statistic, because it is markedly better than that of two years ago when eight out of 10 chickens were found to be contaminated with bacteria, including salmonella and campylobacter. (Even the names sound awful.)

As most of us are no doubt aware by now given the seemingly endless number of food recalls, salmonella, campylobacter, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes, to name the more common pathogens, can make us seriously ill. Food poisoning is the collective and rather vague term for the litany of physical ailments that includes vomiting, diarrhea, kidney failure, paralysis, seizures, hearing and visual impairment, and mental retardation. Worse, people have been known to die from food poisoning. Goodness knows it sure feels like death is imminent when have it. 

Back to the study. The folks at ConsumerReports.org hired an independent lab to test 382 chickens that were purchased in the spring from over 100 supermarkets. Those stores included Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: campylobacter, chicken, Food Illness, Salmonella
Posted in Emerging Issues, Food Illness | No Comments »

Pet Turtles, Salmonella and the Ban No One Knows About

October 30th, 2009. By Hunter West

There’s a ban on small pet turtles? 

Really? 

Okay, so the ban is only on pet turtles less than four inches in diameter. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enacted the ban after reports surfaced that children were putting the cute little things in their mouths. However, it wasn’t a choking hazard that seemed to drive the ban. 

No, it was the fact that children became sick after coming into contact with their pet turtle in such an intimate fashion. 

Sick with salmonella from turtles.  

Turtles carry salmonella, it seems—originating in their feces, according to a recent MSNBC report. So children, by placing the baby turtles in their mouths, were coming into direct contact with salmonella. 

So they were banned 34 years ago. 

Just the small ones, mind you. In 1975.

Oh, you didn’t know either? Join the club. Few consumers know about the ban—and fewer vendors appear to be enforcing the ban, or complying with it. According to MSNBC small turtles Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: FDA, Salmonella, Turtles
Posted in Food Illness, Personal Injury | 1 Comment »

10 High-Risk Foods…most right in your Produce Aisle

October 6th, 2009. By AbiK

Say it isn’t so! But alas, there’s a new study that’s been released by the Center for Science in the Public Interest—a nutrition advocacy group. According to the study, which reviewed data of foodborne illness outbreaks going back to 1990, the top 10 riskiest foods were responsible for more than 1,500 outbreaks, resulting in close to 50,000 reported illnesses. As CNNMoney.com reports today, the study lists these 10 foods as the riskiest in terms of foodborne illness outbreaks:

1. Leafy Greens
2. Eggs
3. Tuna
4. Oysters
5. Potatoes
6. Cheese
7. Ice Cream**
8. Tomatoes
9. Sprouts
10. Berries

The top culprits for foodborne illness are pathogens such as E.coli, Norovirus and Salmonella—resulting from food being either improperly washed, undercooked or not refrigerated properly.

**A bit surprised by this one? The culprit’s the eggs that are used—they may be undercooked, resulting in Salmonella contamination.

Tags: Food Illness
Posted in Food Illness | No Comments »