Was I Being a Germaphobe?

[DeniseJH]

No. There is little to no risk of EColi with the chips in the baseball situation, nor is that something you ever build resistance to. It's an adulterant in food sources, or something you pick up from animal poop. (And different types from things like contaminated water.)

I know what EColi is, and that you don't build up a resistance to it, and yes, there was risk of EColi contamination due to all of those filthy little hands going into the bag.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I know what EColi is, and that you don't build up a resistance to it, and yes, there was risk of EColi contamination due to all of those filthy little hands going into the bag.

Poople don't harbor that type of EColi on their fingertips.

 

[EveDallas]

I know what EColi is, and that you don't build up a resistance to it, and yes, there was risk of EColi contamination due to all of those filthy little hands going into the bag.

No, there really wasn't.

 

[lsyorke]

Tong's for chips??? WTH! Think about it....those same hands are all touching the tongs...and the beat goes on! As a nurse I always tell family members, kids need to eat more dirt! Builds a strong immune system.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Tong's for chips??? WTH! Think about it....those same hands are all touching the tongs...and the beat goes on! As a nurse I always tell family members, kids need to eat more dirt! Builds a strong immune system.

They must then eat those chip with utensils.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I think he was just trying to make a joke. You said you were on a role when the spelling should have been roll. Don’t be so quick to apologize, girl!

This

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

....

Edited because I'm a nitwit and didn't catch the joke lol

Well played, sir. Well played!

You poked and I poked back. All in good fun ma’am

 

[wvjules]

Who said anything about going "all day" without washing hands? It was a short farm tour, then we all washed our hands in the sink with soap and water before moving on with the party. The farm hosts camps and birthdays all summer--I don't believe anyone was at risk.

So they washed their hands before going to the party? The issue wouldn't have bothered me much in the first place, now with this new information it would have not even been an issue at all.

 

[Southernmiss]

The urine thing wound't have bothered me at all, other than knowing that it's not possible to do a "clean catch sample" required for analysis with your bare hands.

I hosted a birthday party this month at a local diary farm for 5 year olds that involved feeding calves bottles, petting cows and other animals and I'm pretty sure all the kids and myself had cow drool on our hands for a good portion of the farm tour. No big deal--it was lots of fun and we all washed our hands before I served the food. Of course...I served individually packaged snacks in addition to the cake and ice cream! No big bags of chips to be a free for all!

Thank you SO much for your concern! Maybe I'll make my kids wear latex gloves next time we feed the goats at the zoo or touch an animal at the fair. Or maybe a hazmat suit? Can't be too careful!



Who said anything about going "all day" without washing hands? It was a short farm tour, then we all washed our hands in the sink with soap and water before moving on with the party. The farm hosts camps and birthdays all summer--I don't believe anyone was at risk.

I was going on your original post above--see highlighted. Still, animal drool is grosser to me than dry kid hands.

 

[scrapquitler]

My daughter had a Little League event today that included a free lunch afterwards of subs, chips and water. When we got to the food line I saw that the chips were being served as opened bags (like large Costco or Family style size) laid horizontally on the table. No tongs. There were like 4-5 choices and each person though the line reached in and grabbed their chips to put on their plate.

The event was for children ages 4-6 and their families following playing a game. No bathrooms that I saw or hand sanitizer stations if you are wondering about that. I’d estimate a crowd of 200 people.

I promised my kids there would be chips so I bought them 2 individual snack sized bags from a small concession stand that had a few items for sale.

I just couldn’t bring myself to grab the chips being served after seeing all the kids jamming their hands into these big bags. But apparently I was the only one concerned because everyone had piles of chips on their plates.

WWYD?

I would have grabbed some chips for my kids from the bags. I've never seen someone put out tongs for serving potato chips anywhere. I've done it that way for 50 years and I'm not dead yet.

 

[scrapquitler]

We've always thrown meat that needs to thaw in the fridge. What would be the benefit of setting on the counter and not the fridge?

Time. I just took out some chicken breast for dinner and they are thawing on the counter now (we were out of town until late last night). If I thawed them in the fridge, they wouldn't be thawed enough for me to cook them tonight. And I won't thaw in the microwave because when I do, I end up with still frozen in spots and cooked in other spots.

 

[DeniseJH]

Poople don't harbor that type of EColi on their fingertips.

No, there really wasn't.

EColi is most typically spread due to poor hygiene - I don't trust children - or a lot of adults - to wash their hands after using the bathroom. Why do you think they had to put signs above the sinks in restaurants to actually remind workers to wash their hands.

And why do people have to be so overtly hostile in their responses to a question about potato chips. Seems to me you can voice your opinion without all the snark and attitude.

 

[scrapquitler]

Eh, I'm not too sure about that. Germs from likely one hand on a cell-phone vs germs from multiple hands. Even if the cell phone owner never washed their hands, it would still be better than germs from 10 people who may or may not have washed their hands.

But also all the germs from all the hands that touched all the places you put your cell phone down. On the bench next to you while you sit at the baseball game, on the counter at the convenience store where you put it down while you check out, on the table at the restaurant, on your desk at work, etc. etc.

 

[DeniseJH]

But also all the germs from all the hands that touched all the places you put your cell phone down. On the bench next to you while you sit at the baseball game, on the counter at the convenience store where you put it down while you check out, on the table at the restaurant, on your desk at work, etc. etc.

Which, I believe, is why we should wash our hands before we eat, and not put things in our mouths that we've witnessed many others touching. It's, to me, just common sense as I don't want to be up all night on, or over, the toilet. I'll take that precaution whenever I can.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't trust children - or a lot of adults - to wash their hands after using the bathroom. Why do you think they had to put signs above the sinks in restaurants to actually remind workers to wash their hands.

Signs are there because there are a lot of everyday germs out there that we pick up on our hands from our everyday environments. Most of these are the germs people are talking about when they say having a little dirt on them helps children build immunity when we're exposed to them at a low level.

Here are just some of them:
Influenza
Norovirus
Klebsiella
Shigella
CDiff
Haemophilus
Hepatitis A
Staphylococcus
Pseudomonas
Streptococcus

We get them from:
Money
Doorknobs
Cell phones
Faucets
Used tissues
Pens
Computer keyboards and mouses
Shopping carts
Steering wheels
ATM machines
Bathrooms, etc.

EColi is most typically spread due to poor hygiene.

There are hundreds of strains of EColi. Most are normal flora of the human gastrointestinal tract, and not only aren't harmful, they can actually be helpful. (And yes, these types of EColi can be on hands, too.)

However, there are some types of EColi that produce a shiga toxin that can produce violent illness, and even be deadly to humans, but live harmlessly in the guts of ruminant animals. One would not normally find these types of shiga-toxin producing EColi on hands.

BTW, I was not the first person to bring up the latter type of EColi on this thread. Another poster shared she had a friend whose child almost died of EColi.

My friend's daughter almost died from kidney failure as a result of exposure to it. Her life nearly ended at the age of two.

I was just discussing the differences in the bacteria, and then pointed out, after the OP mentioned her experience at the dairy farm, that I found it funny that she was worried about the chips, but not the dairy farm, when one was well known to be so much more potentially harmful than the other.

 

[mamamary]

My son had ecoli a few years ago when he was in high school. He was pretty sick.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

EColi is most typically spread due to poor hygiene - I don't trust children - or a lot of adults - to wash their hands after using the bathroom. Why do you think they had to put signs above the sinks in restaurants to actually remind workers to wash their hands.

And why do people have to be so overtly hostile in their responses to a question about potato chips. Seems to me you can voice your opinion without all the snark and attitude.

Why do you continue to spread incorrect information?? Its NOT from bad bathroom habits.
The most common/typical way to acquire an E. coli infection is by eating contaminated food, such as:
-Ground beef. When cattle are slaughtered and processed, E. coli bacteria in their intestines can get on the meat. Ground beef combines meat from many different animals, increasing the risk of contamination.
-Unpasteurized milk. E. coli bacteria on a cow's udder or on milking equipment can get into raw milk.
-Fresh produce. Runoff from cattle farms can contaminate fields where fresh produce is grown. Certain vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce, are particularly vulnerable to this type of contamination.

 

[DeniseJH]

Why do you continue to spread incorrect information?? Its NOT from bad bathroom habits.
The most common/typical way to acquire an E. coli infection is by eating contaminated food, such as:
-Ground beef. When cattle are slaughtered and processed, E. coli bacteria in their intestines can get on the meat. Ground beef combines meat from many different animals, increasing the risk of contamination.
-Unpasteurized milk. E. coli bacteria on a cow's udder or on milking equipment can get into raw milk.
-Fresh produce. Runoff from cattle farms can contaminate fields where fresh produce is grown. Certain vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce, are particularly vulnerable to this type of contamination.

Be sure to let the CDC know your findings, as they disagree.

 

[DeniseJH]

Signs are there because there are a lot of everyday germs out there that we pick up on our hands from our everyday environments. Most of these are the germs people are talking about when they say having a little dirt on them helps children build immunity when we're exposed to them at a low level.

Here are just some of them:
Influenza
Norovirus
Klebsiella
Shigella
CDiff
Haemophilus
Hepatitis A
Staphylococcus
Pseudomonas
Streptococcus

We get them from:
Money
Doorknobs
Cell phones
Faucets
Used tissues
Pens
Computer keyboards and mouses
Shopping carts
Steering wheels
ATM machines
Bathrooms, etc.


There are hundreds of strains of EColi. Most are normal flora of the human gastrointestinal tract, and not only aren't harmful, they can actually be helpful. (And yes, these types of EColi can be on hands, too.)

However, there are some types of EColi that produce a shiga toxin that can produce violent illness, and even be deadly to humans, but live harmlessly in the guts of ruminant animals. One would not normally find these types of shiga-toxin producing EColi on hands.

BTW, I was not the first person to bring up the latter type of EColi on this thread. Another poster shared she had a friend whose child almost died of EColi.



I was just discussing the differences in the bacteria, and then pointed out, after the OP mentioned her experience at the dairy farm, that I found it funny that she was worried about the chips, but not the dairy farm, when one was well known to be so much more potentially harmful than the other.

Yes, there are lots of germs - I'm talking about EColi. And yes, some strains of EColi can make us sick - that's why it's good to try to avoid them when you can.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Be sure to let the CDC know your findings, as they disagree.

Again with the falsehoods. My post referenced the Mayo Clinic and the most common/typical way to acquire e coli. NOT every way to contract it - just to be clear.
No need to contact the CDC, but thanks!