Health Law

A familiar theme: the decisions of a few affect the lives of many

By Marler Clark

Those who think that the much maligned former head man at Peanut Corporation of America is a victim because of the bad press he's gotten lately need a dose of reality.  The obvious victims are those who were sickened, or died as a result of their illnesses.  But the effects, economic and otherwise, of such a massive outbreak are not limited to illnesses and deaths.  Salmonella, hepatitis A, E. coli O157:H7, norovirus, etc., not only wreak havoc on the human body, they cause insidious damage to the lives of ordinary people fortunate enough to have not consumed a contaminated product, but unlucky enough to be within a recalled product's, or maligned person's, sphere of influence.  See this article for a case in point.  For an even better illustration, see Bill Marler's (if you're reading this, you probably already have) recent blog-post on the subject.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on April 22, 2009 (boomark / email).