Sludge Watch ==> increase in illnesses from fresh produce

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Unseen danger in bagged salads: E. coli in your veggies? At least 26 people 
in 3 states reportedly got sick
May 1, 2006
NBC News -- Dateline
Lea Thompson
For other people, it’s just a child strolling through the mall. But for 
11-year-old Amber Brister, a trip to the mall is a very big deal. Amber is 
out of the hospital, and happy to be shopping again with her mom and sister.
Amber was a healthy child until last September, when she had a frightening 
brush with death.
Her mother Lori Olson says suddenly and out of the blue, Amber became 
violently ill, because she had kidney failure. She had to have a tube 
inserted through her abdomen and she was hooked up to a dialysis machine for 
24 hours a day for about 18 days.
Amber was gravely ill. She couldn’t eat solid foods, had to be fed 
intravenously, and needed four blood transfusions. Lori said the doctors 
told her there was a real chance Amber could die.
The same week Amber was fighting for her life, across town in Minneapolis, 
54 year-old-old Roi Dahl was also having serious medical problems.
Ten similar cases hit Minneapolis hospitals in three days, and no one was 
sure what was causing it. A public health investigation was launched.
Dr. Steve Swanson of the Centers for Disease Control and the Minnesota 
department of public health suspected a food borne illness, and was quoted 
as saying, "It’s a remarkable fact that most are not aware of that next to 
ground beef, lettuce is the most commonly implicated food item for E. coli 
infections."
Dr. Swanson and the CDC issue a public health warning about contaminated bag 
salad. Roi Dahl saw it and realized he still had part of the partially eaten 
bag in his refrigerator.
It was Roi Dahl’s leftover lettuce that cracked the case. At the lab, 
scientists were able to extract and isolate E. coli in the lettuce, then, 
using DNA markers, they compared it to the strain of E. coli that sickened 
Dahl, Amber Brister and the others. It was a perfect match.
Dr. Swanson: It’s the first time ever in an outbreak of E. coli from lettuce 
that the outbreak strain has ever been found in the lettuce. That’s the 
proverbial ‘smoking gun.’
Dole Foods issued a voluntary recall for the ‘American Blend’ and ‘Classic 
Romaine’ bag salads implicated in the outbreak, but not before at least 26 
people in three states had gotten very sick. Dr. Swanson believes there were 
probably many more victims.
The Food and Drug administration says there have been at least 19 food borne 
illness outbreaks linked to leafy greens—including raw spinach since 1995 
—425 people have become seriously ill, and two have died.
Dr. Robert Brackett, head of food safety at the FDA, was quoted as saying, 
"I’m very concerned about the welfare of the consumers. Over the last five 
years or so, we have noticed a real increase in the number of outbreaks that 
were traced back to fresh produce. … Outbreaks of E. coli 0H157 are always a 
serious public health issue. E. coli can debilitate, it can kill, even a few 
cases is too much for us."
Dr. Brackett says finding how E. coli is contaminating lettuce is a lot like 
trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are millions of acres of 
lettuce, and thousands of workers, processors and shippers involved in 
bringing salads to American tables.
In a letter to Dateline, Dole says it is “unable to comment” because of the 
pending lawsuits, and adds “food safety always has and will be our top 
priority.” The company says it is working “closely with government...to 
provide the freshest, cleanest fruits and vegetables possible.”