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The Jensen Farms Cantaloupe Outbreak: How to Avoid Repeating a Tragedy
Chlorinated wash water used during cantaloupe processing can help reduce the risk of foodborne illness to consumers.Last summer a family-owned farm in Colorado became the focal point of the largest foodborne illness outbreak in the US in 25 years. Tragically, cantaloupe contaminated with Listeria bacteria sickened 146 people in 28 states, killed 30 and caused one pregnant woman to miscarry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded the outbreak likely could have been prevented if Jensen Farms had maintained its facilities in accordance with existing voluntary FDA guidance. FDA has no enforceable regulations on cantaloupe processing, and farm facility auditors conducting inspections do not consider FDA voluntary guidance when scoring facilities. Scores can be lowered only if practices are inconsistent with FDA regulations. That could, and should, change.
Recently the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a report outlining multiple operational problems contributing to the cantaloupe contamination. The investigation report notes FDA officials were “highly critical of the processing methods used at Jensen Farms,” and emphasized two probable causes of the contamination:… READ MORE >>
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CDC’s Healthy Swimming Video Contest: Promote Healthy Swimming & Be Eligible to Win $1,000!
A guest blog by CDC’s Michele Hlavsa, RN, MPH
CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program provides information to the public, health professionals, and pool operators on a variety of topics to promote healthy and safe swimming experiences. As the summer pool season begins, we are excited to announce…
CDC’s First-Ever Healthy Swimming Video ContestThis year, to help prevent the spread of germs in swimming pools, hot tubs, interactive fountains, lakes, or oceans, the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program is asking the public to help them educate swimmers by making a short, creative video describing the simple steps everyone can take to ensure healthy swimming experiences. This video contest is being launched in conjunction with Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week (RWIIPW), May 23–29, 2011. RWIIPW is a national observance that focuses on educating swimmers and pool operators about healthy and safe swimming and is currently celebrating its 7th year.
Grand PrizeThe 2011 Healthy Swimming Video Contest winner will receive:
–$1,000, provided by the CDC Foundation through support from a public-private partnership.
–The chance for their video to be seen by thousands on CDC’s Healthy Swimming Website and CDC’s YouTube Channel.
We encourage you to… READ MORE >>
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In Haiti and Pakistan, the Ground and Water are Stagnant but the Waterborne Diseases are on a Rampage?
World Water Week just ended and, this year, Mother Nature is proving to be one of the most powerful obstacles to clean water. This year, two natural disasters have resulted in two human tragedies a half a world apart. The origin of one disaster was in the ground; the other in the sky. But the distressing toll taken on the people of both Haiti and Pakistan is much the same in terms of lives lost, suffering, economic losses, injuries, and the threat of subsequent diseases.
The earthquake that devastated Haiti in January claimed the lives of nearly a quarter of a million people and destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure. Meanwhile, more than2,000 people lost their lives in the Pakistani floods this summer while an estimated 21 million were injured or left homeless according to the United Nations. Unfortunately, nature’s second act is proving to be just as cruel.
According to a report from International Action, typhoid fever has invaded Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, the United Nations Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Cluster Coordinator warned thatHaiti could be home to the biggest diarrhea outbreak in two decades. Waterborne diseases are often the silent killers that follow in the wake of a natural disaster.
Thankfully, groups like International Action… READ MORE >>
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Waterborne Diseases Cost US $500 Million a Year
According to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitalizations from three common and preventable waterborne diseases – Legionnaire’s disease, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis – could cost the U.S an estimated $539 million dollars each year. These figures represent only a fraction of all waterborne disease costs. They underscore the large and hidden burden of waterborne disease including direct federal and state expenditures associated with contaminated drinking water and recreational water. Modest investment in waterborne disease prevention programs in the U.S. could lead to significant healthcare cost savings.
According to the study, “These cost data highlight that water-related diseases pose not only a physical burden to the thousands of people sickened by them each year, but also a substantial burden in health care costs, including direct government payments through Medicare and Medicaid,” says Michael Beach of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Using data from a large insurance claims database between 2004 and 2007, Beach and his team estimated the total range of hospitalization costs for giardiasis to be $16-63 million; cryptosporidiosis to be $37-145 million; and Legionnaires’ disease to be $101-321 million.
There are several modest changes that can be made to prevent these… READ MORE >>
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British student invents new way of purifying water without electricity
A British student has invented a new device that will convert contaminated water into safe drinking water. Oxfordshire-based student James Bartlett designed an inexpensive and simple chlorination unit that functions without electricity and can be manufactured for less than $3.
The chlorination unit, named BlueDrop, works by harnessing the Venturi effect, which is used in carburetors to pull gasoline into an engine’s air stream. In Bartlett’s design, water passing through a tube will take in chlorine, which kills or inactivates pathogenic bacteria and viruses that are commonly found in contaminated water supplies. Adding chlorine is one of the cheapest and safest ways of disinfecting contaminated water.
The BlueDrop, designed by Bartlett while studying Industrial Design at Brunel University, was runner-up in the Xerox Innovation Award, presented to Student inventors.
More than 1.5 billion people around the globe do not have access to safe drinking water, anddiseases associated with contaminated drinking water kill more than 25,000 people per day – more than 9 million each year — around the world, according to the World Health Organization.
Chlorination has been credited with major reductions of cholera and typhoid in the developed world.
For more information about the public health benefits of chlorinated water, please visit our website.
(Joan… READ MORE >>
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Campylobacter Bacteria Found in Utah Drinking Water
Last month, the City of Saratoga Springs, Utah, issued a boil water order for the northern half of the city after Campylobacter bacteria were discovered in the city’s drinking water system. At least 15 people became ill with confirmed Campylobacteriosis, and the Utah County Health Department received additional reports of illness including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps consistent with Campylobacter infection.
On May 13, city officials issued the order advising residents, schools, commercial businesses, and all other users of the drinking water system to boil their water for at least one minute or use bottled water while measures were taken to flush the water system of any pathogens from the system.
Health Department officials flushed the drinking water system the following day and added chlorine to kill any remaining bacteria, conducted testing for coliform bacteria, and lifted the boil order on May 15 after test results came back negative for bacteria.
According to Dr. Joseph Miner of the Utah County Health Department, the outbreak coincided with the city turning on the pressurized irrigation system but no cause of the outbreak has been determined. Most likely, a cross contamination occurred between the drinking water and irrigation water systems.
The city’s municipal water system is supplied by five deep wells… READ MORE >>
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Russian Poultry Contaminated with Salmonella
In January, Russia began blocking imports of U.S. poultry because of concerns about chlorine rinses, which are routinely used by poultry processors in the United States to kill pathogens that can cause food poisoning among consumers.
According to a Russian consumer rights group, 80 percent of poultry meat in Moscow is contaminated with salmonella bacteria. The discovery was made when the group conducted tests on chicken meat sold at a large supermarket chain across the capital. Independent laboratory analysis showed eight chickens out of 10 had bacteria living on their skin, and one sample also had bacteria deep inside the muscles, which means that the bird must have been very ill when it was killed. These disturbing findings are directly linked to the inadequate disinfecting procedures at Russian poultry factories following the ban on the use of chlorine in the disinfection process.
Although chlorine is a safe and effective disinfectant for use in the poultry industry, Russia reduced the allowable limit on imported poultry from 200 to 50 milligrams per kilogram, essentially banning imports of chicken meat from the U.S., where chlorine is the primary disinfectant.
Chlorine has been used safely and effectively in the poultry industry for more than 25 years… READ MORE >>
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Anniversary of Walkerton Tragedy is Strong Reminder
Last Sunday marked the 10 year anniversary of the E. coli outbreak that was caused by contamination of the water supply in Walkerton, Ontario. In May of 2000, more than half of the town’s 5,000 residents became severely sick and seven people died as a result of bacteria laden water.
The drinking water supply became tainted when cow manure washed into a well that was vulnerable to contamination. The tragedy might have been prevented if animal access had been restricted in the watershed. To make matters worse, however, officials at the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission had received E.coli bacteria test results that showed unsafe levels of contamination, but concealed them for a number of days before finally alerting the public to the unsafe water.
An independent commission reported that operators at the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission had engaged in a host of improper operating practices for years, including failing to use adequate doses of chlorine, failing to monitor chlorine residuals daily, making false entries about residuals in daily operating records, and misstating the locations at which microbiological samples were taken. The report made recommendations for improving the quality of water and public health that have been accepted by succeeding governments of Ontario and have also influenced provincial… READ MORE >>
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Chlorine Wash is Safe Treatment for Food Products
To help keep produce fresh and increase shelf life, scientists are seeking new, more advanced techniques that provide healthy, safe alternatives to conventional packing methods. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service have developed and tested an effective new technique that combines hot water treatment, stem removal, and modified atmosphere packaging to extend the shelf life of grapes. The results from the study were published online by the American Society for Horticulture.
The grapes were prepared by cutting off the stems 1 to 2 mm from the fruit or by keeping the clusters intact. After initial preparation, the grapes were subjected to a chlorinated wash and/or hot water treatment and packaged in plastic trays sealed with a gas-permeable film. Grapes that were cut from the stems and treated with hot water and chlorine maintained the highest quality for four weeks, with the least decay among all treatments. A chlorine prewash treatment significantly reduced microbial populations on cluster grapes and maintained better overall quality.
Various forms of chlorine are used extensively as a disinfectant in wash, spray and flume waters in the raw fruit and vegetable industry. Chlorine wash is created by dousing water with chlorine gas, sodium… READ MORE >>
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Chlorine in Tap Water is Safe to Drink
There has been a lot of press recently touting new water filters for faucets, showers, and entire home systems. As a marketing tactic to increase sales of these products, advertisers have been overplaying an unsubstantiated risk associated with drinking water chlorination. They overlook the benefits of chlorine as an inexpensive and highly effective disinfectant and do not recognize that the regulatory limits for chlorine and disinfection byproducts were set following a thorough review of credible health data.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says most people don’t need to treat their drinking water at home to make it safe. If taste is the primary concern, an inexpensive pitcher, refrigerator or faucet attachment with a carbon filter will likely help. A shower filter may offer extra security for people “more vulnerable to the effects of waterborne illness” such as infants, the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.
However, many consumers don’t want their tap water unfiltered at the point of use. According to a Gallup poll released last year, pollution of drinking water is the top environmental concern for Americans. Many express worries about the risk of diseases, including cancer that can be associated with contaminants such as arsenic, chlorine and pharmaceuticals… READ MORE >>
