ve 212 F, or 100 C) for 10 minutes to kill the spores, which are remarkably heat-resistant. Foods cooked at home should not be left at temperatures between 40 F and 140 F (4.5 C to 60 C) for more than four hours. Toxin that may have formed can readily be destroyed by boiling the food for 10 minutes. Commercial foods have also been involved in botulism outbreaks. Some outbreaks have been attributed to improperly handled food, such as potato salad, served in restaurants. But many commercial food outbreaks are due to consumer mishandling, such as disregarding labels that indicate the food should be refrigerated. Some food companies acidify their products or lower their moisture content as an extra precautionary measure in case the refrigeration warning is not observed. Consumers can best protect themselves by reading the labels and following the storage instructions and by discarding rusty, swollen or otherwise damaged cans. When ingested, that is where the problems begin because the person's body begins to react towards the toxic. Botulism causes paralysis, starting at the head and moving down the body. Victims become limp, and at the beginning they can't move their eyes, facial muscles or vocal cords. They have trouble swallowing. Eventually, the paralysis moves through the central nervous syste
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