E.coli

          Since the early 20th century meat companies have been growing and expanding.   They have also become more aware of just how important it is to properly care for their meat products.  Food borne pathogens have been in food supplies for years, but unfortunately aren’t looked at with any importance until something groundbreaking awful happens to a consumer.   E.Coli is an especially dangerous food borne pathogen, it causes those who ingest it to become severely ill or suffer fatalities, and it is especially dangerous for young children, the elderly, and people who already suffer from immune deficiencies.

            Consumers have been trained from an early enough age to check nutrition labels on the back of food packages for calories, calories from fat,  total fat, and sodium.  They are trained to look for these items because a high intake of anyone of these can be potentially harmful to their health.  Unfortunately for the consumer what is also in their food that you cannot find on any one label can cause the consumer to become severely ill and it is called E.Coli.   Escherichia coli is a bacterium that lives in the human colon.  “E.coli 0157:H7 is a mutated version of a bacterium found abundantly in the human digestive system.  Most E.coli bacteria help us digest food, synthesize vitamins, and guard against dangerous organisms.  E.coli 0157:H7, on the other hand can release a powerful toxin-called a “verotoxin” or a “Shiga toxin”-that attacks the lining of the intestine.”  (Schlosser 199) E.coli is contagious, and anybody can contract it, it can live in your body for up to two weeks.  Because this bacterium live in the intestine, it is often spread by exposed fecal matter.  One case of bad hygiene, like forgetting to wash your hands, is enough to contaminate somebody else.  Unlike other food borne pathogens that take millions of organisms to be able to spread, E.coli only needs four or five.  A little piece of ground beef in your hamburger holds enough E.coli bacteria to fatally harm you, and as much as 80% of raw meat in the United States is contaminated with it.

            The growing lack of hygiene that workers are conducting in the work place and expressing toward the meat that they are in charge of processing is one of the major reasons for the spread of E.coli.   The forever increasing speeds of the assembly lines used in the slaughterhouses forces the workers to overlook safety precautions and push out the meat in the fastest most efficient way possible.  “The consequences of  a single error are quickly multiplied as hundreds of carcasses quickly move down the line.  Knives are supposed to be cleaned and disinfected every few minutes, something that workers in hurry tend to forget.  A contaminated knife spreads germs to everything it touches.  The over worked illiterate workers…do not understand the importance of good hygiene.  They drop meat on the floor and then place it right back on the conveyor belt…They are directly exposed to a wide variety of pathogens in the meat, become infected, and inadvertently spread the disease.”  (Scholsser 203)  Before the cows are sent to the slaughter house they live on farms that are also not properly cared for, and can stand in manure left from other cows that can be up to a year old.  Manure is the main component of the spread of E.Coli, because this bacterium resides in the intestine it is easiest spread after defecation.  Since the cows are standing in the manure, and this manure is also where the cows feed, there is a good chance of the cow ingesting diseases left behind from other cows, that is then passed to us, the consumer,  through there meat.  Another way is when the cow makes it to the slaughter house and is then killed the machines that strip the dead cow of its hide, causes the manure that the cow picked up from the farms and is embedded in their skin to fall off onto the meat.  Also when the cows are sliced up, they are to be cut in way that there intestines and stomach contents (Cows have four stomachs)  do not spill out onto the floor.  This job takes precise cutting and should be done by a skilled worker.   It can take a factory worker up to six months to begin to get the process correct.  Because of the lack of time given to workers to properly learn skills, and the fast assembly lines filled with hundreds of cattle carcasses, the workers very often cut the intestines and stomachs causing the contents to then spill onto the factory floor, and with it disease.

            In June of 1993 in the Pacific Northwest there was a deadly outbreak of E.coli reported from local Jack in the Box restaurant.  The hamburgers they were serving were tainted and undercooked.  This outbreak affected hundreds of lives and killed several children.  Among the children named was Alex Donley.  Alex had become gravely ill after eating a hamburger.   He had developed severe abdominal cramps and blood-filled diarrhea.  Alex was only sick for six days before he finally passed away.  In this time the doctors had drilled holes into his brain to relive pressure, and the Shiga toxins often associated with E.coli had destroyed his internal organs and caused his brain to liquefy.  This is just one example of how harmful this bacterium is to the children who consume it.  Another example is of Lee Harding, he is an adult in perfect health.  He was diagnosed with food poisoning, which was from being exposed to E.coli 0157:H7, he began to urinate blood and was diagnosed with a kidney infection; this was thought to be a direct side effect of the Shiga toxins.  Although he recovered he can still experience occasional pain. 

E.coli can take a toll on your body.  You usually cannot tell that you are sick until four or five days after eating a piece contaminated meat. Bloody diarrhea is the main symptom of an E. coli infection. You may also experience stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Most people get better in about a week, so they never bother to see a doctor.  Unfortunately because of this more serious problems can occur.  If you experience a fever, your skin becomes pale, your are weak, bruising more and pass small amounts of urine at a time, seek medical attention because these can be problems with your blood or kidneys left over from the Shiga toxins, from a previous E.Coli exposure. 

E.coli can be found in freshwater or seawater, it is resistant to acids and chlorine.  It can survive in moist environments, or areas that aren’t properly cleaned.  It can reside on your kitchen countertop for weeks.   It can also survive freezing temperatures and withstand heat up to 160 degrees.  E.coli has also been linked to milk, drinking water, apple cider, and lettuce.  Actually to avoid consuming contaminated products, especially meat, it is advised that consumers cook there food in boiling hot temperatures exceeding 160 degrees.  Although the E.coli infection goes away on its own, if exposed you should make yourself as comfortable as possible and slowly sip water.  Because of the constant diarrhea it is easy for the body to become dehydrated, especially for babies and the elderly, these sips will help the body from becoming dehydrated.  It is best to not take an antibiotic, because it slows down the digestion process, and will cause the bacteria to spread.  If you suffer from a serious infection that infects your kidneys, the best form of treatment would be dialysis; this is a treatment that filters waste from your kidneys.

            Since food-borne illnesses have become so prominent, the government has been developing ways to prevent further spread of food-borne pathogens.  The HACCP ( Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) was set up to find areas in the processing plant that were most likely to be contaminated and then find methods to prevent contamination from occurring.  The workers were expected to keep records of the required E.coli testing in the factory, but when the testing was being performed there was no federal inspector present.  Although a key point in this plan was to check the raw meat for E.coli there was no guarantee that it was being done efficiently.  Another organization formed is STOP (Safe Tables Our Priority) this organization assists victims of food-borne illness and advocates for food safety.  One of the founders is Nancy Donely the mother of Alex, who I spoke about before, that had died from eating a hamburger contaminated with E.coli.  “Government and food industry officials are sending consumers mixed messages; they insist that America has the safest food in the world and then try to convince consumers that they have to take special precautions in cooking and storing food so it will be safe to eat…The best way to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness is to keep pathogens form contaminating the food supply before it ever reaches consumers.” (Balkin 68)  STOP is key reason for major reforms in meat and poultry inspections.  These reforms include microbial testing for animal fecal contamination.  Since E.coli comes from fecal matter, this an effective way of catching the contaminated meat before it hits the consumers table.

            E.coli bacterium is so widely known now that everyone thinks that if infected they can be cured right away.  The reality of the situation is that just because your stomach may settle after days of being sick, doesn’t mean there isn’t internal damage being done to your body.    Everyday there are new attempts and ideas at fixing this growing problem, we cannot solely rely on these organizations to keep us safe.  We need to educate ourselves and others of the problem, and make sure to thoroughly wash your food and cook it at the right temperatures to rid it of bacteria.  Do not fully trust your food handlers, because like I said before it only takes one case of somebody not washing their hands to contaminate someone else.   Lastly, if feeling ill after eating, be sure to go to a doctor to avoid serious problems from occurring in your body.

                                                Works Cited:

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print.

Balkin, Karen. Food-borne Illnesses. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2004. Print.