Aargh!

Cooked myself a meal the other night, and after I'd eaten it suddenly thought "Oh my God, I've just stir-fried a load of beansprouts!"  But I'm still here, so that's all right.  Did notice though, when I went shopping, that there wasn't the usual crowd round the salad section.  What do you make of all this?  Does washing stuff in cold water get rid of nasty bugs like e-coli?  Does cooking (as with my beansprouts) destroy them?  Speaking personally, I feel I need more information on these matters..