User:Xintong Di/sandbox

I decide to write about food contamination. However, if you try to search "food contamination", "food pollution" or any related words, Wikipedia will leads you to the "food contaminant" page, which is apparently different from "food contamination". So I decided to write about the topic myself. After I spoke to Professor Amy Carleton and emailed WikiEd staff Ian, they all suggested I added one part in the existing article "food safety", which also lacks the "food contamination" contents. Thus, the following contents are all new staff that I want to add to that page.

Food Contamination
Food contamination happens when food are corrupted with another substance. It can happen In the process of production, transportation, packaging, storage, sales and cooking process. The contamination can be physical, chemical and biological.

Physical Contamination
Physical contaminants (or ‘foreign bodies’) are objects such as hair, plant stalks or pieces of plastic/metal. When the foreign object comes into the food, it is a physical contaminant. If the foreign objects are bacteria, the case will a physical and biological contamination.

Common sources of physical contamination are: hair, glass or metal, pests, jewelry, dirt and fingernails.

Chemical Contamination
Chemical contamination happens when food is contaminated with a natural or artificial chemical substance. Common sources of chemical contamination can include: pesticides, herbicides, veterinary drugs, contamination from environmental sources (water, air or soil pollution), cross-contamination or formation during food processing, migration from food packaging materials, presence or contamination by natural toxins or use of unapproved food additives and adulterants.

The main groups of chemical contaminants that can be found in food share the following characteristics:


 * They are not intentionally added.
 * Contamination can happen at one or more stages in food production.
 * Illness is likely to result if consumers ingest enough of them.

Biological Contamination
Biological contamination refers to food that has been contaminated by substances produced by living creatures, such as humans, rodents, pests or microorganisms. This includes bacterial contamination, viral contamination or parasite contamination that’s transferred through saliva, pest droppings, blood or faecal matter. Bacterial contamination is the most common cause of food poisoning worldwide. The best way to protect us from it is by maintaining best food safety practices.

Example for biological contamination- Tainted Romaine Lettuce

Up to May, 2018, 26 states in the United States confirmed with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Several investigations show the contamination might come from the Yuma region but the specific source and mode of contamination remain unknown. This outbreak, which began April 10, is the largest U.S. flare-up of E. coli in a decade. One person in California has died. At least 14 of the sick people have developed kidney failure. The most common symptoms of E. coli include diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.