Panic in Your Plate: Infections and Intoxications and How to Prevent Them

Diethack is participating in the Blog Action Day.

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

I thought for a very long time on what issue to write. Up to now, there is 15 720 blogs which are participating and I'm sure most of them will write about how to avoid pollution and other such environment-related topics. So I wanted to innovate a bit and find a topic on how pollution and the environment affect your eating habits and nutrition.

Besides a more strict and better quality of life, most of the foods we buy look less and less safe to eat. Between listerias and salmonellas, toxic infections seem to be more common. Meat, vegetables, eggs and even water are at risk of infection and invasion of toxic products. Is the food industry taking all the necessary precautions to ensure you are at the safe end of the food chain?


What are the toxins?


Many polluants and germs tend to disrupt the safety of our foods. What substances cause intoxication? Who are those bacteries who sneak in our meals?

The definition of a toxic substance is a substance which when eaten or taken in by other means cause harm to our body. You must keep in mind though that there is a limit to the toxicity of a substance. Everything if over-consumed is harmful for the body, even water! Here I'll be talking about substances which are perceived as very dangerous when taken in very small dosage.

• Heavy Metals
  
  The most notorious pollution by heavy metals was in the 60s in Japan. For 30 years, a chemical factory has been polluting the bay of Minamata by throwing tons of mercury away. Living principally on fish, the inhabitants of Minamata Bay were intoxicated by eating the contaminated fish. By a phenomenon which is known as bioconcentration, the mercury is not eliminated but gets concentrated as it goes down the food chain until it becomes lethal for the last organism on the food chain which is us, human beings. The victims had numerous neurological problems (loss of muscular power, loss of mobility, problem of coordination, vision problems, and bizarre behaviours).
  
  Although this scenario is less likely to happen these days, you must always be careful if you are living near a factory or in a zone of heavy pollution like urban or industrial zones. You are more prone to toxication by heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic, all which can have fatal consequences on your health.


• Pesticides
  
  Residus of phytosanitary products commonly known as pesticides, can be dangerous for health. People can be exposed to pesticides in three ways:
  
  1. Inhaling pesticides (inhalation exposure),
  2. Absorbing pesticides through the skin (dermal exposure), and
  3. Getting pesticides in their mouth or digestive tract (oral exposure).
  
  Depending on the situation, pesticides could enter the body by any one or all of these routes. Typical sources of pesticide exposure include:
  
  
  • Food: Most of the foods we eat have been grown with the use of pesticides. Therefore, pesticide residues may be present inside or on the surfaces of these foods.
  
  
  • Home and Personal Use Pesticides: You might use pesticides in and around your home to control insects, weeds, mold, mildew, bacteria, lawn and garden pests and to protect your pets from pests such as fleas. Pesticides may also be used as insect repellants which are directly applied to the skin or clothing.
  
  
  • Pesticides in Drinking Water: Some pesticides that are applied to farmland or other land structures can make their way in small amounts to the ground water or surface water systems that feed drinking water supplies.
  
  
  • Worker Exposure to Pesticides: Pesticide applicators, vegetable and fruit pickers and others who work around pesticides can be exposed due to the nature of their jobs. To address the unique risks workers face from occupational exposure, EPA evaluates occupational exposure through a separate program. All pesticides registered by EPA have been shown to be safe when used properly.
  
  
• Nitrates and Nitrites
  
  Nitrates are not very toxic, but the problem resides in their capacity to transform into nitrites and nitrites are very toxic chemicals. The danger of nitrites are the formation of cancer cells and rendering "haemoglobins" in blood incapable of transporting oxygen. Nitrate is a natural constituent of plants and is found in vegetables at varying levels depending on the amount of fertilizer applied and on other growing conditions.


• Food Additives
  
  Food additives are substances added to food to increase its shell-life or to make it more attractive or to make it more tasty. I've written two articles on Food Additives which is a must read if you are keen on harnessing safe nutrition habits.
  
  Food Additives - What's Really in your Food?
  
  Food Additives and 6 Ways to Minimize Their Effects
  


• Mycotoxins
  
  Mycotoxins are toxins produced by organisms such as mushrooms, mould or yeasts which can contaminate food. They are responsible for the expiration limit you find on food labels. Animal farms which feed on plants contaminated by mycotoxins can pass on the mycotoxins to humans when you feed on their meat or milk.


• Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
  
  Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease of cattle, which infects by a mechanism that surprised biologists upon its discovery in the late 20th century. In the UK, the country worst affected, 179,000 cattle were infected and 4.4 million killed as a precaution.
  
  An outbreak of mad cow disease is an ever-looming nightmare. In the 1980s and '90s, the brain disorder infected 180,000 livestock in Europe and claimed dozens of human lives, devastating the British cattle industry. Britain, the United States and most other major cattle-producing nations have imposed stringent measures to control the disease, but another outbreak is a very real possibility.

How to identify them in your plate

Many other alimentary toxins are known to be sneaky and hide in the foods you eat. Here are some of the illness, together with their symptoms and their food sources:

• Salmonella infections: These are due to a bacteria called Salmonella. It manifests itself after a period of incubation of 8 to 48 hours. The incubation period is the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appear.
  
  Symptoms: diarrhea, headaches, stomach pains, nausea, vomit, fever.
  
  Foods Sources: Meat, Chicken, Eggs and egg products, Dairy products, fish and seafoods. It generally applies to food that are eaten raw or slightly cooked.


• Infection by Campylobacter: is due to a bacteria Campylobacter Jejuni. The effects start to appear after a period of incubation of 2 to 5 days.
  
  Symptoms: Diarrhea, stomach pains, vomit and fever.
  
  Foods Sources: Eating contaminated meat (chicken, porc), uncooked meat, dairy products and even water. Transmission of the bacteria can also occur if you come into contact with animals.


• Listeriosis: is a bacterial infection due to Listeria monocytogenes.
  
  Symptoms: Meningitis, Septicemia, abortion for the pregnant women.
  
  Food Sources: Cheese made with unpasteurised milk, smoked fish, starchy foods like noodle, pasta.


• Botulism: is an intoxication caused by a bacteria Clostridium Botulinum. The first signs appear normally 12 to 36 hours after infection: partial or complete paralysis.
  
  Symptoms: Trouble seeing, dry mouth, paralysis, vomit, constipation or on the contrary diarrhea.
  
  Food Sources: Canned foods, uncooked meats and fish.


• Brucellosis: is an infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans (zoonosis) caused by a bacteria of the family Brucella. The period of incubation varies from a few days to several months.
  
  Symptoms: Fever, headaches, diffused pains, perspirations, fatigue
  
  Food Sources: Fresh cheese, sheep milk, contact with animals

How to prevent contamination of foods

• Smart Shopping
  
  You go shopping once or twice per week but do you know how to shop? Make a list and stick to it. Eat well before shopping. Always read the label before dropping a food item in your shopping trolley. Check the expiration date. Begin your shopping by the items which are not food-related like clothes, perfumes and other accessories, gardening, etc. Then you get to the 'spices' section and canned foods. Afterwards you buy your fruits and vegetables and last, frozen foods.


• Fridge Usage
  
  On your return, put the frozen foods immediately in the fridge. During a hot weather, avoid gossiping with your neighbour after your shopping or else your foods will get contaminated easily.


• Isothermal Plastics
  
  Use isothermal plastics or plastic which do not conduct heat.


• Check Packaging of food
  
  Whenever buying a food, check whether the food's packaging is not torn or if it is a can, whether the can is not dented.


• Always choose fresh
  
  Between fresh and frozen, fresh always win. Buy fresh foods at your local market whenever you have time.


• Buy small quantities and more frequently
  
  Never buy in bulk. You will be tempted to do so, especially because of this crazy sale but never give in. By buying in small quantities and more frequently, you are ensuring that you have fresh food always and not some stale food which have remained in your shelf for over a month.


• Always wash your food
  
  This is one of the most basic rule of cooking but nevertheless, some people always forget this.


• Always wash your cooking wares
  
  Like food, your cooking wares are the items which are most in contact with the food you eat. Wash them in hot water immediately after use and wipe them clean to remove any moisture. If you don't wipe them, then mould will start to accumulate on them.


• Do not mix food
  
  Sometimes a bacteria or germ cannot proliferate on raw vegetables but if it comes into contact with meat via a cooking knife, it gains a better terrain to proliferate. So always make sure not to mix your foods.


• Never let your foods in open air for long
  
  Flotting polluants in the air can easily fall on the foods and contaminate them if the foods are left in open air for long.

What to do if contaminated?


There are many polluants in the air and they are increasing as days go by. I hope the simple steps mentioned above will guarantee safe foods for you. If ever you are a victim of intoxication, here is what you or your close ones must do:

Signs showing you are a victim of food poisoning:

• Nausea


• Vomit


• Stomach Pains


• Diarrhea


• Fever

These signs may appear between 1 to 24 hours after you have consumed polluted or contaminated food. You must go to a hospital as soon as possible.

If you are near a person suffering from food intoxication, then make the person lie down and keep a sample of the food he/she has eaten with you.


The amount of polluants and germs in the air are on the rise as days go by. But if you use the simple steps mentioned above, you will enjoy a safe and nutritious meal.


My buddy Jay has written a great article on items you never thought could be recycled!

Don't forget to check out other blogs which will be pushing out great contents about the environment on Blog Action Day.