National Law Firm Investigating Possible Lettuce E. coli Outbreak
National food poisoning and food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is investigating claims of a potential outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 connected to lettuce. The firm is seeking information from people who may have fallen victim. If you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with an E. coli infection possibly related to lettuce, please contact the E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Olsen. The toll-free number is 1-888-377-8900.
Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) May 20, 2009
Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, one of the nation's leading food poisoning and food safety law firms, is investigating a possible E. coli O157:H7 outbreak involving lettuce. If you or someone you know has been affected by this outbreak, please contact us immediately.
Pritzker Olsen has been involved in virtually every major E. coli outbreak in the United States, including many involving lettuce and other leafy green vegetables. The firm has collected tens of millions of dollars on behalf of E. coli and HUS victims. HUS, or Hemolytic Uremic Snydrome, is a potentially deadly complication of E. coli that most often occurs in children.
Other health risks of E. coli O157:H7 poisoning include abnormal kidney function, blindness, Hemorrhagic Colitis, high blood pressure, paralysis, seizures and Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disease in adults that carries the risk of stroke, seizures and central nervous system deterioration.
Headquartered in the Midwest, Pritzker Olsen represents victims throughout the United States and is actively involved in several recent E. coli outbreaks including the Nebraska Beef/Barbeque Pit cases in Michigan, Ohio and Georgia and the 2008 Michigan iceberg lettuce cases associated with Aunt Mid's Produce Company.
Firm lawyers are ready to assist you. There is no charge for consulting with our firm. If we agree to represent you, we are paid a percentage of the money we collect for you. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. Please contact us toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or via email at fhp(at)pritzkerlaw. com. Visit us on the Web at www. pritzkerlaw. com.
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been reacting to lettuce E. coli outbreaks for many years. In August 2006, the FDA launched a leafy greens safety initiative in the produce industry to address recurring outbreaks. In that same year, American consumers experienced an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with shredded lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeast. Also in 2006, the CDC and FDA advised consumers not to eat bagged spinach during an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that started in Utah and New Mexico and eventually sickened more than 200 people.
According to the CDC, E coli can sometimes be internalized in the plant structure of lettuce, so that consumers can't always wash it off. Lettuce can also become contaminated externally in the field, or at other intervals in the food chain. Lettuce that is cut and bagged is susceptible in part because bacteria adhere to the cut surfaces.
The problem of lettuce spreading disease to humans has been such a persistent health hazard that two non-profit groups teamed up this year to award a total of $500,000 in grants to seven research groups with the goal of lowering the risk of foodborne illness in lettuce and other leafy greens.
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