Lansing Personal Injury Lawyer - E. Coli

2 Dead, 28 Seriously Ill After Consuming E. Coli Contaminated Ground Beef

David Mittleman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the heartbreaking case of Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old dance instructor in NYC who ended up paralyzed after eating a hamburger patty contaminated with E. Coli. Now fears are mounting to even higher levels, after 2 people died and 24 are seriously ill after consuming ground beef contaminated with E. coli.

The suspect beef was produced by a company in NY State, Fairbank Farms, which issued a recall last Saturday for 545,699 pounds of ground beef products. The products were sold in eight states including Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The stores that received the meat included Trader Joe’s, Giant, Price Chopper, Wild Harvest, and Shaw’s.

While the recall was voluntary, Agnes Schafer, the spokeswoman for Fairbank Farms, argues that no tests have yet proven that the company’s beef products were the source of the bacterial outbreak or the cause of the deaths and illnesses. Furthermore, Ms. Schafer also states that all of the beef products were 23 to 32 days past their sell-by dates and shouldn’t have been on store shelves anyway. Nevertheless, health officials are concerned that people may still have the meat in their freezers, waiting to be eaten.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Woman's Tragedy Reveals Serious Flaws in Beef Inspection Process

David Mittleman — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:35:35 GMT

In a recent article, the New York Times reported on Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old dance instructor who ended up paralyzed after consuming a hamburger back in 2007 that was contaminated with a serious strain of E. coli. At first, she had bloody diarrhea, which quickly turned to seizures and convulsions. Eventually, her condition worsened to such a degree that doctors were forced to put her in a coma for 9 weeks. When she awoke, she was paralyzed from the damage done to her nervous system. Needless to say, Ms. Smith is no longer a children’s dance instructor.

The article brought to light the serious flaws in beef inspections. In fact, meat companies and grocery stores have been banned from selling ground beef tainted with the virulent strain of E. coli known as 0157:H7 since 1994. Still, ground beef was recalled from nearly 3,000 grocers in 41 states, this summer alone. Moreover, federal health officials cite ground beef as the main culprit for 16 outbreaks of E. coli contamination in the last three years.

Ground beef is often a mixture of several parts of cows, and can even come from different slaughterhouses. Furthermore, meat industry research shows that the low-grade ingredients that go into the making of ground beef are often contaminated with cow feces, which contains E. coli bacteria. Despite this fact, there are no federal requirements for meat grinders to test the ingredients for the E. coli pathogen. Recently, the NYT recently a reply letter to their article from the American Meat Institute, arguing that safety inspections have improved significantly in recent years. However, it is difficult to say exactly how far meat producers are willing to go to protect consumers from E. coli in their hamburgers. Specifically, there is a cost-benefit for meat producers to use various pieces of meat instead of purchasing a whole cut of meat. Indeed, health experts estimate that using the cheaper cuts of meat saves meat producers 25% more than if they were to buy the whole cuts of meat.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Don't Drown Your Sorrows with Cookie Dough: Nestle Recalls Refrigerated Dough for Potential E. coli Contamination

David Mittleman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:01:36 GMT

Danville, Virginia—no one can quite figure out how a strain of E. coli, commonly found in the intestines of cows, may have gotten into a batch of Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough. Nevertheless, federal microbiologists and food safety inspectors have already launched a full scale investigation into the mystery after at least 65 people reported food borne illness symptoms after consuming raw dough. So far, all refrigerated Nestle products have been pulled from grocery store shelves to prevent further illness while investigators attempt to confirm the presence of E. coli in the dough.

Alarmingly, two-thirds of the 65 victims are under the age of 19. Health officials are particularly concerned about this outbreak because of the severe complications that can arise with food borne illnesses in children and the elderly. Nestle has reportedly cooperated fully with federal authorities and recalled all of the 300,000 cases of potentially contaminated dough within 24 hours of being notified by the FDA that there was a problem.

Investigators are still testing samples of the dough collected from the Danville, VA plant as well as dough from the victims. While there is still no solid proof that the dough contained E. coli 0157, an epidemiologist on the case says he is “100% certain” that the cookie dough is to blame for the reported illnesses since everyone who got sick reportedly ate raw Nestle cookie dough. Ironically, the risk usually associated with eating raw cookie dough is Salmonella, a type of bacteria found in raw eggs. Nestle does have a notice on their packaging warning consumers not to eat the cookie dough raw. However, raw dough has become a popular snack thanks, in part, to the popular ice cream flavor.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Unknown Illness Strikes 28 MSU Students

Devon Glass — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:04:00 GMT

Twenty-eight students at Michigan State University in East Lansing have become sick with an unknown gastrointestinal illness. The students were treated at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, for symptoms include vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. Most of the students have since been released, and no one who remains in the hospital is in serious condition.

This outbreak is the second major health scare on campus this academic year. Last September, several students were sickened by E. coli bacteria found in iceberg lettuce.

While outbreaks are almost impossible to predict, they can be minimized or even prevented by taking simple precautions. The most important thing you can do to avoid spreading illness is hand washing. Experts recommend using warm water and soap, and rubbing your hands vigorously together for at least 20 seconds. Be sure to get the entire surface of your hand, including your fingernails. Rinse well with a clean towel, and use the towel to turn off the faucet. Alcohol-based sanitizers can be just as effective if used properly. The CDC recommends using a gel that is about 60% alcohol.

Although hand washing is a simple and mundane task, it is crucial to fighting the spread of disease. Take this easy step to protect yourself and those you love.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Devon Glass

FDA Shuts Down Texas Seafood Processing Plant

David Mittleman — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:15:49 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was shutting down Hope Food Supply for its failure to take adequate steps to prevent bacterial contamination of its smoked seafood products. Additionally, the FDA recalled all of Hope’s dried smoked catfish steaks and other smoked seafood produced since June 2007. Although there have been no reported illnesses related to any contaminated foods sold by Hope Food Supply, the FDA took a proactive step by ordering the plant to shut its doors until better food safety standards are implemented.

Due to the recent number of food recalls, either by the government or voluntarily by the producer, this can be seen as a positive step in helping to prevent contamination and infection. The most common risk associated with contaminated food is E. coli bacterial infection. If a person is exposed to E. coli, it can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The people most susceptible are seniors, the very young and those with compromised immune systems.

If you have experienced any adverse effects after eating any of Hope Food Supply’s seafood, please report it to the FDA either by telephone, 888-723-3366 , or via the internet at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman