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Dateline\'s Chief Consumer Correspondent Lea Thompson tells you what you need to know to keep your family safe.','Dateline NBC','','','1','2','11:44, 01/05/06','Lea Thompson','component','','','3032599','70033','', '1',0);pd_om('msnbcom','100');</script><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251im_/http://c.msn.com/c.gif?NC=1255&NA=1154&PS=70033&PI=7329&DI=305&TP=http%3a%2f%2fmsnbc.msn.com%2fid%2f12536902%2f" width="0" height="0" border="0" alt=""/><script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251js_/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/js/s_code_remote.js"></script><div id="nm_c1" class="nmX"></div><div id="nm_c2" class="nmX"></div><div id="nm_c3" class="nmX"></div><div id="nm_c4" class="nmX"></div></div><div id="head" class="w779"><div class="dMSNME_1"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="w779 pb9"><tr><td class="container" nowrap="true"><form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/" id="search" method="get" onsubmit="return 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class="clr"></div><a name="skipnav"></a><h1>Unseen danger in bagged salads</h1><h2>E.coli in your veggies? At least 26 people in 3 states reportedly got sick </h2><div class="p14"><div id="finalPos"></div><div class="WCCol w300 fR clrR"><div style="padding-bottom:20px;"><script>getCSS("3088867")</script><div class="box_3088867" style="width:300;"><script></script><table width="300" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxH_3088867"><tr><td width="1%" class="boxHI_3088867"><img src="/web/20060615211251im_/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/images/icons/video.gif" width="20" height="14"></td><td width="*" nowrap="true" class="boxHC_3088867"><div class="textSmallBold">FREE VIDEO</div></td></tr></table><table width="300" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxB_3088867"><tr valign="top"><td><div style="height:100%;width:100%;background-color:#cccccc;background-image:url('/web/20060615211251im_/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif');text-align:center;"><a href="javascript:msnvDwd('00','67cc9fae-d20a-46db-8b18-6ad41571fcd3','us','Source_Dateline NBC','','msnbc','','12553281','E.coli danger?')"><img border="0" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251im_/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/040629/dtl_thompson_salad_060429.300w.jpg" style="border:1px solid #000000;" vspace="0" hspace="0"></a><div><a href="javascript:msnvDwd('00','67cc9fae-d20a-46db-8b18-6ad41571fcd3','us','Source_Dateline NBC','','msnbc','','12553281','E.coli danger?')" onmouseout="VT_launchMouseOut('EAABFA')" onmouseover="VT_launchMouseOver('EAABFA')" onmousedown="VT_launchMouseDown('EAABFA')" onmouseup="VT_launchMouseUp('EAABFA')"><img src="/web/20060615211251im_/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/images/buttons/launch/buttonsLaunch_02.gif" alt="Launch" name="launch10" width="77" height="25" border="0" id="EAABFA" hspace="20"></a></div></div></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td class="boxBI_3088867"><div class="textHang"><span class="bulletRedSmall">• </span><span class="textMedBlackBold"><a href="javascript:msnvDwd('00','67cc9fae-d20a-46db-8b18-6ad41571fcd3','us','Source_Dateline NBC','','msnbc','','12553281','E.coli danger?')">E.coli danger?</a></span><br><span class="textMed">April 30: When it comes to eating greens, millions of Americans feel their best bet is in the bag -- getting bagged salad that's already cut and ready. But is an unseen danger lurking in your lettuce? Dateline Chief Consumer Affairs Correspodent Lea Thompson reports. </span></div><p class="credit">Dateline NBC</p></td></tr></table></div></div><div style="padding-bottom:20px"><script>getCSS("3053751")</script><div class="box_3053751" style="width:300;"><script></script><table width="300" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxH_3053751"><tr><td width="*" nowrap="true" class="boxHC_3053751"><div class="textSmallBold"> TIPS</div></td></tr></table><table width="300" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxB_3053751"><tr valign="top"><td class="boxBI_3053751"><div class="textMed"><b>How to protect yourself from E. coli in lettuce</b></div><div class="textHang"><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="textMed">— But be sure you wash your hands before handling lettuce or any raw produce...especially if you have been in contact with any raw meat.</span></div><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="textMed">— Even though most of these bag salads are pre-washed and labeled “Ready to eat,” experts say it doesn’t hurt to wash it again.</span></div><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="textMed">— Keep that salad refrigerated.</span></div><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="textMed">— Check the expiration date before you eat it. Even if the lettuce looks good, you should know E.coli can grow quickly in greens that are deteriorating.</span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></div><div style="padding-bottom:20px"><script>getCSS("3053751")</script><div class="box_3053751" style="width:300;"><script></script><table width="300" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxH_3053751"><tr><td width="*" nowrap="true" class="boxHC_3053751"><div class="textSmallBold"> MORE TIPS</div></td></tr></table><table width="300" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxB_3053751"><tr valign="top"><td class="boxBI_3053751"><div class="textHang"><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="bulletRedSmall">• </span><span class="textMed"><a href="/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10945421/" id="gted" ce="Link-1" target="_parent">MSNBC.com: Avoiding foodborne illnesses</a></span></div><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="bulletRedSmall">• </span><span class="textMed"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251/http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm" target="_blank">CDC: On foodborne illnesses</a></span></div><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="bulletRedSmall">• </span><span class="textMed"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251/http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/food/safety.htm" target="_blank">CDC: Food safety handling tips</a></span></div><div style="padding-bottom:3px"><span class="bulletRedSmall">• </span><span class="textMed"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251/http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodsafe.html" target="_blank">FDA on produce handling</a></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="CCol w160 fR clrR"></div><div class="mR165"><div><div class="textMedBlackBold">By Lea Thompson</div><div class="textMedBlack">Chief consumer correspondent</div><div class="textMedBlack">NBC News</div><div class="textBodyBlack" style="padding-top:20px"><i><p>This report airs Dateline Sunday, 7 p.m.</p></i></div></div><p class="textBodyBlack"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="left" style="padding:5 15 0 0;"><tr><td><script>getCSS("3159408")</script><div class="box_3159408" style="width:102;"><script></script><table width="102" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxH_3159408"><tr><td width="1%" class="boxHI_3159408"><img border="0" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251im_/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch images/byline_nbcnews.gif" height="20" width="100" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td><td width="*" nowrap="true" class="boxHC_3159408"><div class="textSmallBold"></div></td></tr></table><table width="102" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxB_3159408"><tr valign="top"><td><img border="0" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251im_/http://media.msnbc.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Bylines/mugs/NBC News/nbc_thompson_lea.thumb.jpg" style="border:1px solid #666666;" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td class="boxBI_3159408"><div class="textMed"><b>Lea Thompson</b></div><div class="credit">Chief consumer correspondent</div><hr size="1" width="85%" color="#cccccc" align="center"><div><span class="bulletRedSmall">• </span><span class="textMed"><a href="/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3949442/">Profile</a></span></div></td></tr></table><table width="102" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxF_3159408"><tr><td class="boxFI_3159408"><div class="textSmall"></div></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table>For other people, it’s just a child strolling through the mall. But for 11-year-old Amber Brister, a trip to the mall is a very big deal. Amber is out of the hospital, and happy to be shopping again with her mom and sister. </p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Amber was a healthy child until last September, when she had a frightening brush with death. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Amber Brister: </strong></b>My stomach hurt really bad and I just didn’t feel good. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Her mother Lori Olson says suddenly and out of the blue, Amber became violently ill.</p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Lori Olson, Amber's mother:</strong></b> She had kidney failure. She had to have a tube inserted through her abdomen and she was hooked up to a dialysis machine for 24 hours a day for about 18 days. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Amber was gravely ill. She couldn’t eat solid foods, had to be fed intravenously, and needed four blood transfusions. Lori said the doctors told her there was a real chance amber could die. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Lori Olson:</strong></b> It was horrible. When she started the dialysis, there was one point that she was in so much pain they gave her morphine and it didn’t even help. It was a really awful thing to watch. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>The same week Amber was fighting for her life, across town in Minneapolis, 54 year-old-old Roi Dahl was also having serious medical problems. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Roi Dahl:</strong></b> It scared the hell out of me. I cried.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>He had been sick for days, but says he figured it was just something he would get over. But then came the pain—he says he was doubled over, unable to move, and hemorrhaging.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>His family rushed him to the emergency room where doctors tried to stop the bleeding. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dahl: </strong></b>The first night I was there they were holding their breath whether I was going to make it through the night or not. And the next day, they wanted to take out my entire colon and put a colostomy bag on me. And they still weren’t sure what was wrong.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Ten similar cases hit Minneapolis hospitals in three days, and no one was sure what was causing it. A public health investigation was launched.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Teams began calling patients to find out what they had eaten.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Dr. Steve Swanson of the Centers for Disease Control and the Minnesota department of public health suspected a food borne illness. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dr. Steve Swanson:</strong></b> We were actually contacting people who were ill and interviewing them while they were still in the hospital.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Because of the symptoms, Swanson thought it might be an outbreak of E.coli 0157 bacteria. E.coli comes from animal or, sometimes, human feces and is usually associated with undercooked ground beef. But health officials found the victims hadn’t eaten ground beef --- but they all had eaten something that you might never suspect of giving you food poisoning—bag salad. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dr. Swanson:</strong></b> It’s a remarkable fact that most are not aware of that next to ground beef, lettuce is the most commonly implicated food item for E.coli 0157 infections. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Dr. Swanson and the CDC issue a public health warning about contaminated bag salad. Roi Dahl saw it and realized he still had part of the partially eaten bag in his refrigerator.</p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dr. Swanson:</strong></b> He called me from the hospital and spoke with me, and said he believed that he was one of our outbreak victims. We then mobilized some people to get over to his house and to get the lettuce before it had decomposed too much. We sent it to our laboratory. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="1%" align="left" style="padding:5 15 0 0;"><tr><td><img border="0" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251im_/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060428/060428_ecoli_hmed_11a.small.jpg" style="border:1px solid #000000;" align="Left" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td></tr><tr><td><div class="credit" style="text-align:right;margin-bottom:5px;">Minnesota Department Of Health / Steve Swanson</div><div class="credit">An electron microscope iamge of E.coli O157:H7 attached to alfalfa sprouts. These images are not part of the outbreak reported on Dateline, and are enhanced with color (e.coli would not be necessarily purple in color). They offer detail of what the bacterium appears like when viewed with electron microscopy and attached to sprouts.</div><hr noshade="true" size="1" color="#C0C0C0"></td></tr></table>It was Roi Dahl’s leftover lettuce that cracked the case. At the lab, scientists showed us how they were able to extract and isolate E.coli 0157 in the lettuce, then, using DNA markers, they compared it to the strain of E.coli that sickened Dahl, Amber Brister and the others. It was a perfect match. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dr. Swanson:</strong></b> It’s the first time ever in an outbreak of E.coli 0157 from lettuce that the outbreak strain has ever been found in the lettuce. That’s the proverbial ‘smoking gun.’</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Dole Foods issued a voluntary recall for the ‘American Blend’ and ‘Classic Romaine’ bag salads implicated in the outbreak, but not before at least 26 people in three states had gotten very sick. Dr. Swanson believes there were probably many more victims. </p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span><div class="box_brl" style="width:100%;;"><script></script><table width="100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxH_brl"><tr><td width="*" nowrap="true" class="boxHC_brl"><div class="textSmallBold"> Click for related stories</div></td></tr></table><table width="100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="boxB_brl"><tr valign="top"><td class="boxBI_brl"><div class="bigRedLink"><ul><li><a href="/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11549598/#060428a" target="_parent">Lea Thompson: Investigating an important mystery</a></li><li><a href="/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10944908/" target="_parent">Tips on smart grocery shopping, food handling at home</a></li><li><a href="/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10976595/" target="_parent">What about dirty supermarkets?</a></li></ul></div></td></tr></table></div></p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dr. Swanson:</strong></b> Those who become ill, and come to our attention in public health, are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, with E.coli O157, probably 20 times as many people get ill during an outbreak as you actually know about. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Lori Olson says she still can’t believe it was bag salad that made Amber so sick.</p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Lori Olson:</strong></b> Who would think that you could eat lettuce and almost die?</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Most consumers would have no reason to suspect their lettuce. After all, it’s become part of the American diet. In fact, the industry says six million bags of salad are sold every day in this country.</p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Jim Gorney, food industry consultant:</strong></b> It’s a great product. It’s convenient, it’s wholesome, and it’s ready to go.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Industry Consultant Dr. Jim Gorney says bagged salad really is the greatest food innovation since, well, sliced bread. And millions do eat it safely every day. He says the outbreak that sickened Amber Brister and the others was unfortunate.</p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Gorney:</strong></b> My heart goes out to those people who have become ill. I have a 7-year-old myself and it’s really a tragedy when someone gets ill. It shouldn’t occur.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>While the E.coli outbreak was unusual, it is not an isolated incident. The Food and Drug administration says there have been at least 19 food borne illness outbreaks linked to leafy greens—including raw spinach since 1995 —425 people have become seriously ill, and two have died. </p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Dr. Robert Brackett, head of food safety at the FDA: </strong></b>I’m very concerned about the welfare of the consumers.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Dr. Robert Brackett is head of food safety at the federal government’s Food and Drug Administration. He is worried about E.coli contamination of produce, especially lettuce.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align=""><tr><td><script language="javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251js_/http://www.msnbc.com/d/ip/foodborne/data.js"></script><script language="javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251js_/http://www.msnbc.com/modules/poptext/poptext_codeV2.js"></script><script>if (window.foodborne) { displayApp(foodborne); }</script></td></tr></table></p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Brackett: </strong></b>Over the last five years or so, we have noticed a real increase in the number of outbreaks that were traced back to fresh produce. </p><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Lea Thompson, Dateline’s chief consumer correspondent:</strong></b> Would you consider these outbreaks a serious public health issue?</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Brackett: </strong></b>Outbreaks of E. coli 0H157 are always a serious public health issue. E.coli can debilitate, it can kill, even a few cases is too much for us.</p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="1%" align="left" style="padding:5 15 0 0;"><tr><td><img border="0" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060615211251im_/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060428/060428_ecoli1_hmed_11a.small.jpg" style="border:1px solid #000000;" align="Left" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td></tr><tr><td><div class="credit" style="text-align:right;margin-bottom:5px;">Minnesota Department Of Health / Steve Swanson </div><div class="credit">A bag of Dole Classic was recovered from a household. It was served at a college potluck dinner, and two individuals became ill with confirmed E.coli O157:H7 after consuming this bag. </div><hr noshade="true" size="1" color="#C0C0C0"></td></tr></table>E.coli in beef is usually killed by thorough cooking, but Dr. Brackett says if fresh lettuce is contaminated by E. coli, the person eating it is likely to get very sick.</p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Brackett:</strong></b> Because unlike ground beef or unlike some other products, there is no heating step. So, the interesting part here is that you have opportunities for contamination all the way from before the product is even planted, right up unto the consumer’s table. </p></blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Dr. Brackett says finding how E.coli is contaminating lettuce is a lot like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are millions of acres of lettuce, and thousands of workers, processors and shippers involved in bringing salads to American tables.<b><strong> </strong></b></p><blockquote><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Brackett: </strong></b>It could be something as simple as a deer walking through the field that contaminated a few heads or it could have been from a flooding. Or it could have been an ill food worker. </p><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Thompson:</strong></b> Right now it’s really a mystery?</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><b><strong>Brackett:</strong></b> It really is a mystery how this happened. But it’s one we have to solve.</p></blockquote><div class="t1 f70 c666"><span cm="PageNavBot"><a class="b" id="gted" ce="2" href="/web/20060615211251/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12536902/page/2/">CONTINUED: Investigating the source of E.coli. 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