New cases of botulism from green beans

[Violet]

There are three new cases of botulism from improperly canned green beans.

The lady and her children have been diagnosed with botulism. The lady is a nurse.

She is on a ventilator.

Here is a link to the story.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/4047508...l#idc-container

I pray she and her children recover without life long paralysis or other health issues.

[JCK88]

I wonder if they tried to water bath the green beans. It sure sounds like it.

 

But even when you pressure can, you still need to take care. Violet, thanks for the reminder of what can happen.

[Suz]

Sounds like they should recover in time. Good reminder to use proper proceedures.

[Homemaker]

So you can recover from botulism?

 

I thought it was basically a death sentence when you got it.

[serendipity]

How awful for them.

 

I am glad that it sounds like they will be okay.

 

Stories like this are what make me so meticulous about my canning.

 

And Homemaker, I was wondering the same thing.

[TurtleMama]

Are you not supposed to can green beans? *clueless* What did they do in the old days with all the green beans from the garden?

 

I feel awful for that woman and ESPECIALLY for her children. I pray that they will recover with no complications.

 

 

[Crazy4Canning]

Nice brief story. Thanks so much for posting this, Lady Violet. It's so important that we go with the newest methods. I'm so grateful for the Extension Office near us and that we can still learn freely. Thanks for all you do.

 

 

 

You notice though, that they didn't put ANY links to SAFE canning practices or a plug for where you can learn properly.

[nmchick]

Are you not supposed to can green beans? *clueless* What did they do in the old days with all the green beans from the garden?

 

I feel awful for that woman and ESPECIALLY for her children. I pray that they will recover with no complications.

 

TurtleMama, to safely can green beans you need a pressure canner. In the old days they may have used water bath canning, but remember back then folks just up and died sometimes and no one knew why. Botulism is not common, but it is deadly.

 

[Cat]

Or they just "Water Bath"-ed them MUCH longer and called it safer.

 

 

 

 

[CrabGrassAcres]

What granny did was to drain the liquid off the beans and fry them up in some fat back. That killed the botulism spores and neutralized the toxins. I remember seeing shelves and shelves of her canned green beans when I was small.

[JCK88]

If untreated, you would die from botulism. And it's a tricky poison because sometimes the symptoms can wait as long as ten days before showing up. By then, sometimes people don't connect it to the food eaten that caused it.

 

The way botulism toxins work is that it paralyzes the nerves so the muscles cannot contract. Unless the nerve can regenerate a new axon that has no exposure to the nerve poison in botulism the interference at the neuromuscular junction is permanent. That means that until new nerve endings grow, that "electrical circuit" is dead.

 

Did you not read in the story that the lady is on a ventilator? Likely her lungs quit due to the neurotoxins. Until new nerve endings grow, she will stay on that ventilator. Likely, if her lungs won't work, the rest of her body can't either.

 

The need for new axons to grow is is why it takes so long to recover from botulism and also why cosmetic and therapeutic uses of diluted neurotoxin can be effective for relatively lengthy time periods. They effectively freeze the face for a good long while, but do eventually wear off.

 

Key to surviving botulism poisoning is how quickly it is diagnosed and how quickly you are adminstered an antitoxin.; There are two antitoxins. One of them attacks three different neurotoxins and you get this from the CDC from one of their quarentine stations. The other one, effective against seven or more antitoxins is available from the U.S. Army or from FEMA.; There IS also a new treatment The BabyBIG (Botulism Immune Globulin, given by an IV) and is only currently available from a special site. (I have a phone number somewhere for this. I wrote about this one time, in case you wonder why I'm full of info...also I am very interested in foodborne pathogens, one of my hobbies, LOL)

 

The thing is, a person would be in intensive care for weeks and weeks until the nerve endings recovered. They would need a ventilator. Often, they couldn't walk, talk and in some cases, may even not be able to move at all.

 

Don't be fooled. This is one deadly toxin, one of the most lethal there is.

 

It's just that we know how to treat it. In the old days, people mostly automatically died from it.

[Crazy4Canning]

Good Grief. This is amazing.

 

My dad is here working today. He heard me gasp over this so I read him the article. He was astonished that a. a case of botulism actually happened and b. anyone ACTUALLY survived.

 

Thanks for sharing this Judy. You're such a wealth of information.

[sassenach]

This just makes me want to dehydrate and vaccuum seal vast quantities of green beans!

[TurtleMama]

Miss Judy...if you DO follow the recipes and methods in the most recent Ball books, does that eliminate the possibility of botulism? Or just reduce it? Seeing this makes the idea of putting up low-acid foods scary for a brand-new canning beginner. I don't want to paralyze my babies!!!!

[A mother a survivor]

Reading this makes me want to just pressure can everything just to be safer. I wish we knew if the woman was water bathing or if she did something wrong with her pressure canner. I read that tomatoes are no longer always a acidic food. I think I'll look into pressure canning those.

[Cat]

Yes... following the Ball Blue Book's directions for canning *is* safe. But it is up to the individual to be sanitary and exact and safe.

 

*for example* - It does you no good at all if you sterilize your jars and lids and utensils and then don't wash your own hands after going to the bathroom... and then go can everything.

 

Just as you don't randomly eliminate flour or eggs when making a cake, you don't play around with the canning directions. You read them and do it that way. If you don't understand something... *ASK* We're here to try our best to help you do it correctly!

 

 

A mother a survivor, adding the lemon juice to tomato products as the Blue Ball Book states brings the acidity of the tomatoes up to the proper level. There are so many different varieties available today that we can't count on one kind being acidic enough. So we add it to *all* tomatoes.

 

 

As in any project that results in a great product... baking, sewing, house-building... there are proper steps to be taken for it to be right in the end. Just learn to do it correctly and safely and you'll have better foods than anything you can buy in the stores!

 

 

 

[GirlNextDoor]

There is NO way I will be canning anything until I can find one on one training somewhere.

[JCK88]

Now that you've gotten frightened about botulism, don't let that scare you from canning. I have canned for more than 30 years now (yikes! I'm getting OLD) and I have never had a problem.

 

However, as Cat points out, you need to not take shortcuts. Boil your jars and lids. Wash your hands, use clean utensils. Don't mop the countertop and then use the same dishrag to wipe your jar rims, you know...simple common sense methods of avoiding cross contamination.

 

I can green beans all the time and we love them. We cook them several different ways, toss them into casseroles, sautee in olive oil, or just plain as they are. If you follow the directions in the Ball Blue Book you will be fine.

 

The whole idea of talking about this kind of thing is NOT to make you think you can't learn to do this. Just follow the directions to the letter.

 

(And when the USDA or the Ball Blue book says don't water bath green beans...now you know why.)

 

I am going to admit something that might make you laugh...

 

I was afraid to can because of my fear of botulism, too. My mother used to can--never had a problem. But one year, she canned a lot of peaches and my father wasn't eating them although we all were. He said, in front of us kids, that he was afraid of botulism from home canned stuff. My mother, who had grown up canning foods, laughed and said that was typical of his city boy talk and that he was missing out on good food. Well, that stuck in my head and ever after, I was scared of home canned food even though my mother had made it.

 

But...fast forward a few years and a low-income life made me reconsider. So as a 20-year old, I got a Ball Blue Book and a water bath canner to can the tomatoes I had grown in a large garden, and tons of grape jelly and grape juice from wild grapes, and peaches and apples from trees in an abandoned orchard next door. It took me another 10 years to decide pressure canning would expand my horizons and although my first attempt at pressure canning was laughable--the nice Mirro people helped me through the second batch on the phone, LOL--and I've been steaming along ever since.

 

Botulism is lethal. But the risk is there with commerically canned foods and you don't avoid those. So why would you not trust yourself and your own kitchen and your own careful methods? For me, with food allergies, home canned is the ONLY method I trust. I KNOW that my jars and lids are sterilized. I KNOW that I washed my hands. I know that when I wipe jar rims, I use a clean cloth or paper towel that has been dipped in boiling water. I know that there is nothing in my food I'm allergic to.

 

I had one lesson in canning. A friend showed me how to can tomatoes--and she directed me to the Ball Blue Book. From there, I learned the rest. You shouldn't wait for someone to show you--just get the book, look at the pictures, and follow the directions. If you can read, you are able to can safely!

[Homemaker]

I taught myself to can.

When I bought my Ball book a few years ago it came with a dvd. It showed how to can green beans. I started with that , then did my tomatoes. This was all I really canned for years until last year when I began doing chilies, meats and other stuff.

 

Just follow the directions

[Crazy4Canning]

Everyone, if you've got questions about canning, ask them here or find out about your local Extension Service. Here in Washington, we've got a GREAT one! The ladies are fabulous! Plus, it gives you a few hours a week away AND you get to learn new stuff.

 

Please don't be afraid of canning. I was frustrated for a time too, becuase of those evasive ladies at Jarden. I couldn't get a straight answer out of them.

 

The local Canning Ladies (through the Extension Service) were a wealth of information. So nice, friendly, and I learned so much - kinda like a real-time MrsS.

[Granny]

Key word in this report is improperly canned green beans. This shows case was investigated and the proper precautions and safe procedures had not been used.

 

Follow all recommended guidelines when home canning. As said, ball blue book or guidance from specialists such as extension. If done correctly should be no difference in safety than store goods.

 

Case study report should appear in Center for Disease Control, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in couple months. Might be something on CDC website earlier.

[TurtleMama]

Okay, El Dorko Turtlemama didn't even REALIZE that you could get botulism from the cans you get in the store too!! *duhhhhhhhh* I think that I'm going to go on Amazon and get the water bath canner and the pressure canner I found on there. At least I'll KNOW what's going into my food! (my older sister told me one time that there's an acceptable amount of bugs that the FDA says can go into canned foods and stuff since it's supposedly impossible to keep them all out -- I'm 99.9% sure that's not true, but at least I will KNOW at home it's not! hehehe)

 

I love you girls, and how encouraging you all are!!

LOL The guys, too! (can't leave anyone out)

[Mandomom]

Looking at things from the flip side, I am thinking even more that it's time to scrounge up any pennies I can find and get a pressure canner and Ball Blue Book. If you look at the problems there has been with foods from other countries lately (China), then look at the economy and the companies in trouble, it's very likely some will slack on quality control eventually and we will be at the mercy of the big food processors, hoping they are being diligent despite problems in resources and equipment.

 

Is a low end Presto canner good enough for now? What about a water bath canner? Do I really need one of those if I have a pot big enough already to completely cover the jars with boiling water on the stove? Money is really tight and even though I realize it's a great investment, you can still only get so much blood from a turnip. I need more jars and everything if I'm really going to dive in.

[Josephine]

Is a low end Presto canner good enough for now? What about a water bath canner? Do I really need one of those if I have a pot big enough already to completely cover the jars with boiling water on the stove? Money is really tight and even though I realize it's a great investment, you can still only get so much blood from a turnip. I need more jars and everything if I'm really going to dive in.

 

A pressure canner is able to water bath. You just need to be sure (IMO) that you have a full load or else you're using extra water to fill the half empty canner. If you have a stock pot that is tall enough to take a layer of canning rings (to hold the jars up off the bottom), the jars (usually pints), and about 2" of water above the jars, you can use that to can. I have a 8 qt stock pot I use this way.

 

Look around your Craig's List and ask on your local Freecycle. You might be able to find a canner, jars, and many other things you need for free or a low price.

 

[JCK88]

Yes a Presto canner is fine. Get it checked at the extension office before you use it if it has a guage.

Also, you don't need a special water bath canner as long as the water can cover your jars a couple of inches. I have used a large stock pot with a rack in the bottom to keep the water circulating under the jars. Another solution to this is to use jar lids arranged in the bottom of the pan.

 

Properly home canned food is safe, delicious and really pretty on the shelf. LOL