Food Poisoning

Follow proper canning methods. Boil home-canned food for 10 or more minutes. Don’t eat foods from cans with leaks or bulges. Refrigerate oils infused with garlic or herbs. Don’t give honey to children less than 1 year old.

E. coli

Cause

Bacteria from contaminated water, raw milk, raw or rare ground beef, unpasteurized apple juice or cider, or contact with contaminated animal feces.

Play Video: What is Food Borne Illness?

Signs & Symptoms

Diarrhea or bloody discharge. Abdominal cramps. Nausea. Signs occur within 2 to 5 days and last about 8 days.

Prevention

Don’t drink unpasteurized milk and apple cider. Wash your hands after using the bathroom and cleaning up animal feces.

Listeria

Cause

Bacteria from unpasteurized milk, uncooked meats, foods contaminated during processing (cold cuts, hot dogs, soft cheeses).

Signs & Symptoms

Fever. Chills. Headache. Backache. Abdominal pain. Diarrhea. Often, signs occur within 48 to 72 hours, but can take up to 3 weeks to occur.

Prevention

Don’t drink unpasteurized milk. Cook beef to an internal temperature of 160ºF.

Salmonella

Cause

Bacteria from raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat and from food that comes in contact with contaminated surfaces.

Signs & Symptoms

Stomach pain. Diarrhea. Nausea. Chills. Fever. Headache. Signs occur within 8 to 12 hours and last up to 1 or 2 days.

Prevention

Don’t have unpasteurized milk, raw and undercooked eggs. Cook eggs to 160ºF (the white and yolk are firm). Use clean utensils and surfaces.

Staphylococcal Enterotoxin

Cause

Toxin from bacteria usually from meats, dairy foods, eggs, etc. that are not kept cold (e.g., unrefrigerated, at picnics, etc.) Also spread by human contact.

Signs & Symptoms

Severe nausea. Abdominal cramps. Diarrhea. Vomiting. Signs occur within 1 to 6 hours and last up to 3 days. Signs last longer if severe dehydration occurs.

Prevention

Keep foods that can spoil cold (40ºF or below) or hot (140ºF or higher). Don’t eat foods kept for more than 2 hours between 40ºF and 140ºF. Don’t eat foods that look or smell spoiled. Wash your hands often. Use clean utensils and surfaces.

Chemicals

Cause

From foods with pesticides and eating poisonous mushrooms or poisonous plant leaves or berries.

Signs & Symptoms

Sweating. Dizziness. Mental confusion. Very teary eyes. Watery mouth. Stomach pain. Vomiting. Diarrhea. Signs start to occur within 30 minutes.

Prevention

Wash raw fruits and vegetables before eating them. Don’t store food or liquids in containers with lead- based paints. Don’t store alcohol in lead crystal containers.

Hepatitis A Virus

Cause

From contaminated water, raw and undercooked shellfish, oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, etc.

Signs & Symptoms

Appetite loss. Nausea. Vomiting. Fever. Jaundice and dark urine after 3 to 10 days. Liver damage and death from severe infection.

Prevention

Hepatitis A vaccine. Don’t eat raw or undercooked shellfish, oysters, etc.

Norwalk-Like Viruses

Cause

From food and touching objects contaminated with the virus. Direct contact with an infected person.

Signs & Symptoms

Nausea. Vomiting. Diarrhea. Stomach cramps. Signs occur within 12 to 48 hours and last up to 2 days.

Prevention

Wash your hands often, especially after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before handling food. Disinfect contaminated surfaces.

Mercury

Cause

From eating contaminated fish (e.g., shark, swordfish, tuna, king mackerel, tilefish).

Signs & Symptoms

Numbness and tingling in the lips, fingers, and toes. A hard time walking and speaking. Muscle weakness. Memory loss. Mental changes. Tremors.

Prevention

Check local health department for safety of fish. Limit fish high in mercury. Pregnant women need to follow the advice of their doctor.

Questions to Ask

Question 1

Do you have any of these problems?

• Botulism symptoms listed above.

• Signs of dehydration.

• You vomit bright red blood or matter that looks like coffee grounds.

• You have bright red blood in diarrhea.

• You have a severe headache that persists, a stiff neck, or a convulsion. You are confused.

Get medical care without delay. If symptoms are life threatening go to the ER or call 9-1-1. Don’t call 9-1-1 or use the ER if symptoms do not threaten life. Ask your doctor ahead of time where you should go for a problem that needs prompt care, but not emergency care.

Question 2

Do you have any of these problems?

• Severe vomiting. Blood-streaked stools.

• Fever over 101ºF.

• Pain has lasted for several hours or the pain gets worse

You should be seen by your doctor for medical advice. Contact your doctor or health care provider to find out how soon you should be seen.

Question 3

Do you vomit after having only ice chips for 12 hours? Or, do you still have diarrhea after using self-care for 2 days?

Call your doctor or health care provider and state the problem. He or she can decide what you should do.

Use Self-Care / Prevention:

You can probably take care of the problem yourself if you answered NO to all the questions. Use the “Self-Care” measures that are listed. Call your doctor if you don’t feel better soon, though. You may have some other problem.

Self-Care / Prevention

• For chemical food poisoning, call the Poison Control Center (800.222.1222).

• Heed warnings for food products that could be harmful. News reports list these items. So does the FDA at www.fda.gov.

This website is not meant to substitute for expert medical advice or treatment. Follow your doctor’s or health care provider’s advice if it differs from what is given in this guide.

The American Institute for Preventive Medicine (AIPM) is not responsible for the availability or content of external sites, nor does AIPM endorse them. Also, it is the responsibility of the user to examine the copyright and licensing restrictions of external pages and to secure all necessary permission.

The content on this website is proprietary. You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, or distribute, in any manner, the material on the website without the written permission of AIPM.