Los Angeles Salad Company, out of California, is recalling all of its packages of baby carrots labeled "Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots" with a 'sell by' date up to (and including) August 16th due to the possibility that they are contaminated with Shigella bacteria. The packages were sold in Colorado, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida with the "Los Angeles Salad Company" brand name, and in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington under the brand "Trader Joe's."

4 people have become ill in Canada and investigators are still trying to determine the source. Shigella bacteria infections can cause bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting -- if you find any of these carrots in your home don't eat them (obviously) and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

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Botulism hasn't been seen in commercially canned goods since the 1970s, but it recently reared its ugly head in some hot dog chili sauce products and sent 4 people to the hospital. Botulism is caused by the bacteria Clostridium and works by paralyzing muscles. All 4 people (2 kids in Texas and a couple from Indiana) are expected to fully recover.

The warning and recall apply to 10-ounce cans of Castleberry's, Austex and Kroger brands of hot dog chili sauce with "best by" dates from April 30, 2009 through May 22, 2009. They were canned in Augusta, GA, and Castleberry is cooperating fully with the FDA and CDC investigations.

This is scary -- why now, after all these years?

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We're getting pretty conscious of what good disease and infection control means in this country, what with instant hand sanitizers, toilet seat covers, and signs reminding us to wash our hands in public bathrooms. But somehow all that great effort flies right out the window when it comes to petting zoos, where the majority of safety precautions to limit people's exposure to organisms like E. coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and campylobacter are frequently not followed. The simplest of interventions, like washing hands when leaving the petting zoo, were not done by people as often as 77% of the time in a recent survey.

Now that you know there's no excuses: wash your hands! And save the snacks and drinks for later.

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Unfortunately, the sun isn't all you have to worry about at the beach this summer. I posted yesterday on the dangers of Recreational Water Illness, and although it's fairly easy to prevent by making sure you don't swallow water and dry your ears after swimming there are some places that are much more hazardous and risky than others. Unfortunately many beaches across the country are getting so contaminated with sewage and pollution that they're almost unusable! According to Forbes.com, here's the nation's most polluted beaches, along with what percentage of water samples came back higher than national health standards for contaminants:

• Illinois: North Point Marina North Beach, 56 percent
  
• Minnesota: St. Louis R Est, Clyde Av Landing, Smithville, 55 percent
  
• Michigan: Singing Bridge Beach, 54 percent
  
• Wisconsin: South Shore Beach, 47 percent
  
• Ohio: Edgecliff Beach, 43 percent
  
• Indiana: Jeorse Park, East Chicago, 33 percent
  
• Rhode Island: Scarborough State Beach North- Black Point Pipe, 80 percent
  
• Massachusetts: Sandy Beach, 50 percent
  
• New York: Wright Park East, 49 percent
  

Is the beach near you on the list? Were you planning a summer vacation to one of these places? You might want to think again!

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As if the recent pet food recalls one after another threatening the health of our pets wasn't stressful enough, those reports were quickly followed by news that the responsible contaminating ingredients had gotten into the human food supply through hogs and chickens. But finally some good news: although the chemical melamine has been found in the feed of some animals, none has been found in the meat supply intended for humans. And in addition, even if small amounts of melamine were consumed experts don't believe it would pose any real health threat to humans.

So, a tentative sigh of relief. For at least one angle of this horrible mess anyway.

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Ever wonder what's in your water? Do you stay in the know with your local news alerts? I was shocked to find out three whole days later about a water boil alert in our area. So how can we protect ourselves from drinking contaminated water if our every day lives are too busy to stay up to date with everything in our local news? And what is the best way to protect ourselves?

Installing a Reverse Osmosis System on your kitchen sink water supply is one of the best investments you can make for peace of mind and good clean healthy water. There are lots of brands out there on the market so be sure to read closely about the warranties, how often you have to change filters, the costs of the filters and how easy it is to change them, the speed in which the system filters your water and how large the holding tank is. And remember charcoal filters will remove odor from water and chlorine to make the taste better, but they do not take out all chemicals and nitrates in your water. Reverse Osmosis is the best and most cost efficient way to do this. Take it from someone who was in the utility business and has researched water thoroughly.

Boiling water will kill some bacteria but it only intensifies some chemicals and nitrates. Don't be fooled by bottled water either. There are very few regulations on bottled water and anyone can slap a label on a bottle of water and sell it. Read the fine print on where that water comes from and how it is filtered. Bottled water is the number one selling drink in the United States and nothing governs it to make sure it is completely safe. So take the steps to make it safe for you and read the labels on your water and do something to make sure that your home water supply is the healthiest and safest it can be.

So here's to drinking healthy and wisely. Water is the fluid of life. It is one of the the most essential things a body needs to operate totally functional. Cheers and bottoms up.