--- description: The CDC warned against eating any kind of romaine lettuce grown in the Yuma, Arizona region as an E. coli outbreak continues title: CDC Warns Against Eating Any Romaine Lettuce After E. Coli Outbreak image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba753897741c2aed/69892e2aab6d7718816b26cf/gettyimages-1955934.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Public Health](/tag/public-health/) ## Public Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # CDC Warns Against Eating Any Kind of Romaine Lettuce After E. Coli Outbreak by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Apr 20, 2018 10:08 PM CUT  SAN FRANCISCO - APRIL 28: Heads of romaine lettuce fill a produce case at the Fruit Barn produce store in San Francisco. Laboratory studies commissioned by the Environmental Working Group in Oakland found the chemical perchlorate, a hormone disrupter, in four of 22 samples of lettuce traced to growers in Southern California or Arizona. A typical serving of the contaminated lettuce would contain four times the level of perchlorate considered safe in drinking water. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) SAN FRANCISCO - APRIL 28: Heads of romaine lettuce fill a produce case at the Fruit Barn produce store in San Francisco. Laboratory studies commissioned by the Environmental Working Group in Oakland found the chemical perchlorate, a hormone disrupter, in four of 22 samples of lettuce traced to growers in Southern California or Arizona. A typical serving of the contaminated lettuce would contain four times the level of perchlorate considered safe in drinking water. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Apr 20, 2018 10:08 PM CUT American consumers are urged to stay away from salad for the time being, after an [E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce](http://time.com/5246503/e-coli-outbreak-romaine-lettuce-grows/ "undefined") has spread to 16 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against eating any kind of [romaine lettuce grown in the Yuma, Arizona region](http://time.com/5240137/cdc-e-coli-romaine-lettuce/ "undefined"), including whole heads and hearts of the green, and any chopped salads or salad mixes that contain it, in its latest update on the E. coli outbreak. The warning, which expanded from a prior notice urging buyers to throw out any store-bought chopped romaine lettuce, comes after new cases of E. coli were reported in Alaska. Alaska’s Department of Health & Social Services said eight inmates at the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center contracted acute gastroenteritis in E. coli cases linked to romaine lettuce from Yuma. E. coli [reported in Alaska](http://dhss.alaska.gov/News/Documents/press/2018/DHSS%5FPR%5FEcoli%20outbreak%5F41918.pdf "undefined") is connected to the outbreak affecting at least 53 people across 16 states. According to the CDC, the lettuce causing people to get sick comes from the Yuma, Arizona growing region, though no particular grower, brand, supplier or distributor has been identified. E. coli symptoms include stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Thirty-one people have been hospitalized in the current outbreak, and at least five have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. For now, the CDC warns against eating or buying any romaine lettuce unless it’s possible to confirm that it did not come from the Yuma growing region. Anyone who has store-bought romaine lettuce or other unidentifiable lettuce at home should throw it away, unless its source is absolutely known. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5249038/cdc-ecoli-romaine-lettuce/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5249038/cdc-ecoli-romaine-lettuce/"},"headline":"CDC Warns Against Eating Any Kind of Romaine Lettuce After E. 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