7 inmates get botulism from homemade 'Hooch'

[dstranger99]

:cross:



FLORENCE, AZ (CBS5) - Seven inmates are suspected of getting botulism from prisoner-made alcohol over the weekend in the Special Management Unit 1 on the Arizona State Prison Complex Eyman in Florence.

Starting Saturday four inmates were hospitalized because of severe illness, they are now undergoing treatment. A fifth man arrived late Saturday and two sick inmates arrived before noon Sunday. All seven inmates are now in the intensive care unit.

The results for the botulism test will take a while to receive back, but proactive steps have been taken to help with the inmates' treatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were notified of a preliminary confirmation of the botulism poisoning in order for the state to be authorized an anti-toxin for treatment.

The CDC did release the anti-toxin to the medical team treating the sick inmates.

An investigation has been started by the Pinal County Public Health Officials working with the Department of Corrections and Arizona Department of Health Services into how the inmates would have gotten sick.

It is suspected that the inmates may have contracted the botulism poisoning from "hooch," a prison homemade alcohol, that is made from fermented fruit. Samples of the hooch were sent for testing and officials are still waiting on the lab results for confirmation.

Botulism is contracted by ingesting a toxin found in food. Botulism is not spread through breathing, sneezing or other means.

Symptoms of botulism are muscle weakness and difficulty speaking, chewing or swallowing. If untreated botulism and lead to generalized weakness, difficulty breathing and paralysis.

 

[metanoia]

Just another reason to stick with brewing beer. Someone should be sending those inmates some brewing equipment and Star San!

 

[Revvy]

This is old news.....it's one of those internet memes that pops up every now and then. If you're fermenting crap in a toilet, then it's too be expected. It has nothing to do with what we make. In fact all bringing it up in a place like this, is going to scare the new brewers who think that making beer, wine, mead and cider is dangeous, and looking at it wrong can make you and your family sick.

 

[Revvy]

Botulism cannot grow in beer/wine/cider/mead, what happens is that since they're "brewing" in an unhealthy environment (like a toilet bowl) the garbage bag or whatever they're fermenting in, and whatever they're drinking from ends up contaminated with botulism...The fermentation itself can't grow it. But if you're drinking from a cup that has the toxic on it, or from something that had it on the surface, then you're going to be ingesting it.

Remember, the biggest reason these liquids exist is that nothing pathogenic can exist in them, and they were used as a replacement for water, which could harbor toxins.

I came across this from a pretty well known and award winning homebrewer railing against a fellow brewer (it was on one of those "color coded" brewboards where they are a little less friendly than we are.) I just cut and pasted it and stuck it in a file...here it is.

Can you get a PATHOGEN from beer. No. NO *NO* Did I make that clear? You have a ZERO chance of pathogens in beer, wine, distilled beverages. PERIOD!

Pathogens are described as organisms that are harmful and potentially life threatening to humans. These are some 1400+ known species overall encompasing viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminths. Of that group, we are only interested in those that can be foodborne. Quite simply, if it can't survive in food, it isn't in beer. That knocks out all but bacteria and fungi. Viruses need very specific circumstances to be passed around... like on the lip of a glass or bottle, not the beer in it. **Ahhh...CHOOO!**

Pathogens as a rule are very fastidious beasts. Meaning that they want very specific temperatures, acidity, nutrients and other conditions to thrive.

Bacteria that *could* live in wort, cannot survive even a little bit of fermentation. There are several reasons for this. One is in the 'magic' of hops. It is the isomerized alpha acids that provide a preservative effect to the beer, which happens to inhibit pathogens! Good deal for fresh wort!

Another reason is the drop in pH from fermentation. Next, yeast emit their own enzymes and byproducts, all in an effort to make the environment hostile to other creatures. The major one is alcohol, of course, but their enzymes will break down less vigorous organisms and they become sources of trace nutrition. Now the latter is very minor compared to the effect of alcohol, but it exists! Most of the time these enzymes work on the wort, not organisms until late in the process. Good deal for beer! ...uh, wine too.

Oh, Botulism specifically... did you know that this is an anaerobic pathogen? It's toxin is one of the few that is broken down by boiling. Did you know tht it is strongly inhibited by isomerized alpha acids, even in water? Since fresh wort has a healthy amount of oxygen in it, the beastie cannot even get started, then once the O2 is used up, it doesn't have a chance against the hops or the yeast.

All that is left are a handful of acid producing bacteria that'll ruin a batch of beer. Overall, there are less than 200 organisms that can survive in beer and lend flavor effects. None of these for very long, or very often. Lambic being the sole exception, and if pathogens *could* survive, that'd be the style where you find 'em.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

It's also plausible that the botulism toxin was already in the fruit before fermentation began. Alcohol may be inhospitable to Clostridium botulinum but I don't believe it affects the toxin. Botulism toxin isn't produced in dangerous amounts that fast so I'd be less inclined to believe an unclean fermentor was responsible, especially since the toxin is produced in anaerobic conditions, although not impossible. Most likely they were sneaking out fruit, canned fruit, etc. to use and either letting it sit too long or improperly storing it and giving ol' Clostridium a chance to get funky.

The message there is pretty simple. Don't use inflated canned goods for beer. Don't eat them. Don't go to jail. If go, the toilet is one way. Things go in, don't take them back out.

 

[highgravitybacon]

If I'm making hooch in my toilet, do I need to use a secondary?

 

[Joesf35]

Revvy, that does not mean there can't be odd things happening in your guts from drinking home brews. I added too much campden to a wine before bottling one time. The result was a horrible cleansing process for anyone who would drink it. (If it wasn't a cleanse from the campden then something was living in there).

Also, it took me months to figure out that if I drink homebrew and eat too many pastries or sweets the night is over.

 

[Revvy]

If I'm making hooch in my toilet, do I need to use a secondary?

Isn't that what the urinal is for? Or is that for open fermentation of Belgian Pruno?

 

[jerrodm]

Only if you like to dry-hop with a little clostridium.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Urinal is definitely more of a coolship.

 

[organ]

If I'm making hooch in my toilet, do I need to use a secondary?

If you've ever taken a secondary in your primary, I doubt it matters.

 

[Revvy]

I wonder if any of these hooch makers ever tried to make it in a condum that they "keestered?" A 98.6 degree fermentation would probably be good for a pruno saison, wouldn't you think?

 

[Xpertskir]

If you're fermenting crap in a toilet, then it's too be expected.

:racks last batch from toilet:

 

[metanoia]

I wonder if any of these hooch makers ever tried to make it in a condum that they "keestered?" A 98.6 degree fermentation would probably be good for a pruno saison, wouldn't you think?

^
Things that you cannot un-read. >_<

 

[Whippy]

I have a funky smell coming from my toilet-fermenter...is my batch of hooch infected?

 

[metanoia]

Hey, there was a toilet on sale for $98 at Home Depot a couple weeks ago with a $98 rebate. Did anyone think to use this as a free fermenter? You could always just flush the batch in to a secondary, or use the tank as a primary and the bowl as a secondary or bottling "bucket." The possibilities are endless!

 

[neosapien]

I wonder if any of these hooch makers ever tried to make it in a condum that they "keestered?" A 98.6 degree fermentation would probably be good for a pruno saison, wouldn't you think?

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

 

[HawksBrewer]

I wonder if any of these hooch makers ever tried to make it in a condum that they "keestered?" A 98.6 degree fermentation would probably be good for a pruno saison, wouldn't you think?

The fact that you went there is a little disturbing. I have been officially scarred for life. Thank you!

 

[b-boy]

I have a funky smell coming from my toilet-fermenter...is my batch of hooch infected?

That was me - I had Indian food for lunch.

(That was in bad taste)

 

[metanoia]

That was me - I had Indian food for lunch.

(That was in bad taste)

Come on man, you gotta wait until it's in the secondary to add different flavors like that!

 

[jerrodm]

Thought I had a pellicle forming...turns out I just have a really serious bladder infection.

 

[ludomonster]

Flushing is achieved via siphon.

The German word for Botulism translates to "Sausage Poisoning."

Finally, the solid contents of a toilet bowl are the result of fermentation. Flushing transfers them to another fermentation chamber.