My SO’s Mom sent us a box of food (stuff we can’t find here) a few days ago. I just opened a can of Lebanese green olives and didn’t notice beforehand that the can was bulging. It had the pull top ring type top and when I opened it, the liquid inside the can spewed into my face and eyes.
Of course, I washed it off immediately. However, this made me wonder if there any “food poisoning” risk associated with something spraying into your eyes (and nostrils), or is my only problem that my hair now smells like green olives and garlic?
Clean that kitchen with bleach/disinfectant!
And bathe!
And take some Pepto.
And do it all fast!!
I’m usually in the “don’t be so damn obsessive compulsive a few germs won’t hurt you” crowd. But the bugs you get in tinned food are some of the worst you’ll ever encounter. In particular Botulism which is pretty much THE nastiest bug you’ll come across IMO (and cooking well won’t help you as its the toxin it produces that is so nasty).
That said its pretty rare, but never the less I’d be on the look out for “double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness.”.
I am the model of an anti-hypochondriac but that could potentially be serious. There is a reason the can was distorted and you don’t want to screw around with botulism or anything else that caused it. You can easily get infected with lots of things through the eyes and the mucus membranes.
This isn’t the place for medical advice but it should be Ok to suggest you wash your eyes and nostrils out with the cleanest water possible and clean yourself up. Do you have medical insurance with a nurse advice line? I would use that if you do. I don’t mean to alarm you because probably nothing will ever come of it at all but the worst case scenario is bad enough to take it seriously.
I’ll just point out that as long as you have a functional immune system, you’ll probably be able to fight botulism off. So don’t panic too much. But do get yourself and your kitchen cleaned up, and watch out for symptoms.
Thank you all for your replies.
I tossed my contacts and used some eyewash from the first aid kit, then showered with some antibacterial hand soap.
Oddly enough, I don’t usually worry about anything like this. I live on a farm with all kinds of animals, bugs, etc. I regularly drink milk way past the “sell-by” date (as long it smells okay), etc. Hell, I had to hunt under the bathroom cabinet to find antibacterial soap that my sister left here last year.
I don’t think it is any big deal, but better safe than sorry and all that. Of course, there is also the possibility that this might do a little something to help my wrinkles? 
Now that’s an idea… garlic skin injections!
I take it you’ve never had water up your nose? Plain water would sting like 10,000 wasps. What you’d want for a nasal wash is saline - the same stuff that people use in neti pots to fend off allergies and congestion.
I’m not a doctor, but my understanding is that the cause of botulism is generally not an infection by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, but rather toxins these bacteria have already produced. So while the can may have contained botulism toxins, I’d wager that the small amount that was sprayed on the OP won’t actually cause anything bad, especially if they didn’t swallow anything and cleaned themself soon after.
Clean that kitchen.
With disinfectant.
kitchen is clean…I wiped down everything with bleach.
If it was really a few days ago, you are safe. Although the toxin is absorbed through the eyes and cuts in the skin, you are past the usual time it takes for symptoms to develop. Or so says the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/botulism/botulism_faq.htm