Food Poisoning InformationAn overview of Food Poisoning and Foodborne Illness, including a guide to foods commonly associated with Food Poisoning, an overview of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a guide for determining fault, and the statute of limitations. Understanding Food Poisoning · Foods at Risk · Center for Disease Control-CDC · Determining Fault · Bacteria and Viruses · Statute of Limitations Understanding Food PoisoningFood poisoning, also known as foodborne illness, is a common illness that is usually mild but can be deadly. Many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens, can contaminate foods, and there are many different foodborne infections. Poisonous chemicals and other harmful substances can also cause foodborne diseases if they are present in food. Typical symptoms of food poisoning resemble those of the flu and include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea. These symptoms usually occur within 48 hours after consuming a contaminated food or drink, and they may affect one person or a group of people who ate the same contaminated food (known as an outbreak). While the symptoms are usually mild and the recovery quick, food poisoning chas the potential to cause serious health problems, especially for those with weaker immune systems. Foods at RiskRaw foods of animal origin, such as raw meat and poultry, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, and raw shellfish, have the highest risk for contamination. Filter-feeding shellfish strain microbes from the sea over many months, so they are particularly likely to be contaminated if there are any pathogens in the seawater. Foods that mingle the products of many individual animals, such as bulk raw milk, pooled raw eggs, or ground beef, are also hazardous because a pathogen present in any one of the animals may contaminate the everything. Fruits and vegetables consumed raw are also at risk for contamination. Washing the fruits and vegetables prior to eating can decrease contamination, but not eliminate it. Unpasteurized fruit juice can be contaminated if there are pathogens in or on the fruit that is used to make it. Center for Disease Control-CDCThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the U.S., food poisoning and foodborne illness cause about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths per year. One of the most common bacterial forms of infection, salmonella, accounts for $1 billion in medical costs and lost work time. The CDC provides expert epidemiologic and microbiologic consultation to health departments and other federal agencies on a variety of public health issues, such as foodborne disease, and it stations epidemiologists in state health departments to help with the surveillance and investigation of food poisoning problems. The CDC can also send a team into the field to conduct emergency field investigations in the event of large food poisoning outbreaks, in collaboration with state public health officials. CDC researchers are working to develop new methods for identifying, characterizing and fingerprinting the microbes that cause food poisoning and foodborne diseases. Determining FaultFood poisoning cases are a type of personal injury lawsuit. In many cases, they fall under the category of product liability cases and the food is considered to be a defective product that caused an injury. Food usually becomes contaminated from poor sanitation or preparation. Food handlers who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom or have infections themselves often cause food to become contaminated. Improperly packaged food and food stored at the wrong temperature can also lead to contamination. In order to determine who may be liable for damages resulting from food poisoning, it is best to consult a personal injury lawyer or product liability attorney that has experience handling food poisoning cases. There are specific problems related to establishing fault in food poisoning cases, such as proving that it was the food from a specific establishment (restaurant, food service provider, etc.) that caused the illness. An experienced food poisoning lawyer will have the knowledge and resources to sucessfully deal with these difficulties. Bacteria and VirusesBacterial infections are significantly different than viral infections, though both may cause a foodborne illness and, in some cases, the symptoms may be the same. Bacteria, which are single celled living organisms, can cause bacterial infections. Bacteria can cause food poisoning in two different ways. Some bacteria infect the intestines, causing inflammation and difficulty absorbing nutrients and water, resulting in diarrhea. Other bacteria produce chemicals in foods (known as toxins), which are poisonous to the human digestive system. When eaten, these chemicals can lead to nausea and vomiting, kidney failure, and even death. Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Staphylococcus are examples of bacterium that can cause food poisoning. Statute of LimitationsIn order to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation for the injuries suffered as a result of food poisoning, you must file a claim before the statute of limitations expires. The statute of limitations is a time limit that governs the period in which an injury victim can file a lawsuit. After this period expires, you lose your right to bring a claim in connection with your injuries caused by contaminated food. The statute of limitations varies depending on circumstances of the injury and the state in which it happened. In order to ensure that the statute of limitations on your food poisoning case does not run out, it is advisable to contact a foodborne illness lawyer as soon as possible.  All content on Accidents.com is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended as legal or medical advice. Please seek advice from a professional on any related topics.
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