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©2006, Lee Tarte Wallace
E. coli is a bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one particularly serious type of E. coli, 0157:H7, can cause severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In 2-7% of cases, victims develop “hemolytic uremic syndrome,” in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. This complication is most common in children under 5 years of age and the elderly. CDC warns that: “About one-third of persons with hemolytic uremic syndrome have abnormal kidney function many years later, and a few require long-term dialysis. Another 8% of persons with hemolytic uremic syndrome have other lifelong complications, such as high blood pressure, seizures, blindness, paralysis, and the effects of having part of their bowel removed.”
E.coli 0157:H7 comes from insufficiently cooked meat and "sprouts, lettuce, salami, unpasteurized milk and juice, and swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water,” according to CDC. E. coli can be spread person-to-person via fecal contact.
When food-processing companies or restaurants ignore sanitation procedures, their customers may wind up eating contaminated food. People who become ill from eating food that was negligently prepared may have a legal case for the damages they incur.
For more information about the four recognized classes of E. coli, see the “Bad Bug Book,” put out by the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, available at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html.
Other links for information about E. coli and foodborne illnesses:
Escherichia coli O157:H7 (CDC, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control)
The E. coli index by Dr. Gavin H. Thomas (web page devoted to E. coli, including recent events in academic research into E. coli)
National Agricultural Library on E. coli (USDA United States Department of Agriculture)
© 2007, Lee Tarte Wallace
The contents of this page: (a) should not be considered or relied upon as legal, financial or other professional advice in any manner whatsoever, and (b) may be considered advertising under some state’s Bar Rules. Unless otherwise stated, no article or text at this Internet site is, has been, or will be updated or revised for accuracy as statutory or case law changes following the date of first publication. Always consult with your lawyer and/or your other professional advisors before acting.
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