Here is an article review I did for my Microbiology class this fall that is a great "first post" for this blog & the direction i want to take it in:
Coming from a long line of hypochondriacs I find myself very cautious when it comes to food handling and preparation. I have always been very careful about food prep, chicken especially, for fear of giving myself (or my dinner guests) salmonella. If you come for dinner at my house and chicken is on the menu it is guaranteed to be dry... not because of my lack of cooking skill, but for my fear of salmonella. I tend to cook chicken until it’s finished, and then throw it back in for a few extra minutes “just to be sure”. Also, when ordering chicken at a restaurant I almost always ask for it to be cooked “well”, any hint of pink in my chicken and I am not eating it. It was refreshing that all of my paranoia is not in vein because Chuck Gerba, Microbiologist, shares these same concerns and has proven their danger with extensive research.
One point made in the article that I did not know about was the antimicrobial effects of wood and the benefits of using a wood cutting board vs. a plastic one. All of my cutting boards are plastic, and I usually spray them with bleach after cutting meat on them and then rinse them with hot water and place them in the dishwasher. Judging from what the article says, my cutting board clean-up is probably sufficient to protect me from any bacteria; however I found it very interesting that the wood board has “99.9 percent” less bacteria than the plastic board after being contaminated with salmonella for 3 days without being washed (Roach, p3.) Thanks to this article, I will be taking a trip to the store to purchase myself a wood cutting board next chance I get.
The information regarding the toilet spraying bacteria upon flushing was also new to me. I always noticed that toilet bowl spray, especially among some public toilets (it could be quite intense). But never gave a second thought to the fact that not just water, but bacteria could be transferring to nearby surface, such as the toothbrushes on the counter beside the toilet. This is knowledge that can be put to use in the future for sure. I have already let my family know that closing the lid before flushing (when possible) is the way to go.
Another aspect that Roach touched briefly on that I found very interesting was the ease of transfer of virus’ and bacteria from surfaces and how this transfer can affect children because of how much they are prone to putting things in their mouths. Being the mom of 2 young children I find that “wash your hands” and “don’t put that in your mouth” tend to be two of my most commonly said phrases, and for the most part I find that hand washing is a sufficient way to keep my kids mostly healthy. Last fall, for fear of contracting H1N1, I did begin carrying antibacterial hand wipes with me at all times. Not only did I wipe off the surfaces that my kids came into contact with (carts) but I also had them in the general habit that when we got back into the car from being in a public place we would “sanitize” by using hand sanitizer or the wipes. Maybe it seems a little germaphobic, but I did notice that my kids did not seem to get as sick as some of my friends kids did. I like to think that my precautions were the reason for that.
Reference:
How to win at germ warfare. By: Roach, Mary, Health, 1059938X, Jul/Aug94, Vol. 8, Issue 4
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