Actions We Can Take to Protect Ourselves

If you have become ill or suspect you may have been exposed to a potentially disease-causing pathogen, contact your local physician or hospital emergency room for further instructions.

Most public health experts advise that a large-scale bioterrorist attack through the contamination of food or water is less likely to occur than an attack involving an airborne contaminant, such as the recent anthrax scare.

Most of the illnesses that occur due to food or water contamination involve short-term vomiting and diarrhea, from which most people recover relatively quickly. As a result, public health officials suspect that most terrorists would be less interested in using such agents. In addition, current water treatment procedures effectively kill many biological agents. Chemical contamination of our water supplies is unlikely because it would take extremely large amounts of a chemical or other toxin to effectively contaminate a water supply due to the dilution factor.

The Centers for Disease Control and other public health experts advise that there are several actions we can take to protect ourselves from becoming ill if exposed to pathogens in air, food, and water:

  1. Always make sure to wash your hands thoroughly in a combination of soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. When washing your hands, first thoroughly wet your hands, then apply liquid or clean bar soap. Next, rub your hands vigorously together for several seconds and scrub all surfaces. Rinse well and dry. Keep in mind that it's the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps to dislodge and remove the germs.
  2. Avoid consuming raw or undercooked foods. Always make sure to cook foods sufficiently so that they reach the proper internal temperature. Many foodborne organisms can be killed if foods are properly cooked. (Visit the Food Safety section of the NSF Consumer Web Site for a Guide to Proper Cooking Temperatures.)
  3. Thoroughly wash fresh vegetables and fruits before consuming. When shopping for groceries, do not purchase dented or swollen cans. Do not consume any food, supplements, or beverages in packages where the factory seal has been broken or appears to have been tampered with.
  4. Use care when entering, using, and leaving public restrooms. Avoid touching door handles, toilet seats, and faucet handles with your bare hands if possible. Use paper towels as a barrier.
  5. The U.S. Postal Service recommends that you either don't open or use care when opening packages received by mail or special delivery that were not expected or where you do not recognize the return address.