International Nurses Association

Have you ever had an argument with an older relative about what is safe to eat, and what's not? We’ve all been there. Food was placed on the table at noon, and left out for everyone to snack on. At 10 that night, you tell someone that things need to be thrown out, mainly the turkey that had sat out at room temperature for 10 hours. After a heated discussion,you lose the argument and the following morning, someone is sick from the food.Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills: The classic symptoms of food poisoning. You may have found it difficult to prevent yourself from saying “Told you so!” Facts Bacteria can grow on food left out at room temperature. You may think that can't be true because you have eaten such food before. Notice “can”, and not “will”. Food left out for 2 hours, on average, has a 40% chance of having bacteria multiplying to the point of making someone sick. Leave it out 5 hours and it's up to 90%. Of course, this does not always happen.If you have a health