Where are germs hiding in your kitchen
Scientists analyzed common surfaces and appliances in our kitchens, and found an assortment of bacteria including major causes of foodborne illness including E. coli, salmonella and listeria Canada Goose Parka monocytogenes.
Each year, one in six Americans or 48 million people Canada Goose Outlet get sick from a foodborne Canada Goose Jackets illness resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and Canada Goose Online 3,000 deaths, according Canada Goose sale to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
NSF international took up the challenge of finding the germiest spots in the kitchen as a follow up to its cheap canada canada goose outlet goose uk 2011 study that looked at the most bacteria ridden areas of our Canada Goose online homes.
That study found dish sponges and rags were the canada goose coats on sale germiest items, followed by kitchen sinks, toothbrush holders, pet bowls and coffee makers.
For the new study, NSF enlisted 20 volunteer families to swab 14 common kitchen items: the blender, can opener, flatware canada goose black friday sale storage tray, food storage containers with rubber seals, knife block, microwave keypad, pizza cutter, spatula, strainer and the refrigerator ice dispenser, water dispenser and meat and vegetable compartments. The NSF analysis was looking for four types of microorganisms linked to fooborne illness: E. coli, salmonella, yeast and mold, and listeria.
The presence of these items in the kitchen is considered a health risk, according to NSF, especially for those most susceptible to canada goose uk outlet foodborne illness including pregnant women, older adults and people with a weakened immune system.
What the swabs showed may gave you pause next time you’re preparing dinner.
Twenty five percent of items tested contained E. coli bacteria, including the refrigerator meat compartment, rubber spatula, blender gasket, can opener and pizza cutter. E. coli bacteria can spread through contaminated food and water, causing diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and other complications that can damage blood cells and Canada Goose Coats On Sale kidneys.
Salmonella was found on 25 percent of items tested, including the meat and vegetable compartments in the refrigerator, spatula, blender, gasket, refrigerator ice and water cheap Canada Goose dispensers and the rubber seals on food storage containers. Salmonella bacteria can cause the infection buy canada goose jacket cheap salmonellosis, a disease that can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach buy canada goose jacket pain or more severe complications in at risk groups including the elderly, very young and people with weakened immune systems.
Yeast and mold was found on 100 percent of all 14 items.
Listeria was found on 10 percent of all items tested, including the refrigerator vegetable compartment and refrigerator door seal. Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can cause fever, canada goose uk shop muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms. In 2011, a listeria outbreak caused by cantaloupes sickened 147 canada goose people in uk canada goose outlet 28 states, causing 33 deaths and one miscarriage.
In no particular order, the six “germiest” items in the kitchen canada goose uk black friday were the refrigerator vegetable and meat compartments, blender gasket, can opener, rubber spatula and rubber sealed food storage container.
These items come in direct contact with food, especially raw produce, meats and ready to eat meals, potentially making friends and family sick.
That’s why NSF urges canada goose store proper cleaning of all of these kitchen items. For example, Yakas pointed canada goose clearance out that many people may not realize they need to disassemble the entire blender, removing the gasket and the rubber seal before cleaning. That’s where canadian goose jacket a canada goose clearance sale lot of the bacteria was found.
“I think the biggest oversight that people make is they don’t canada goose factory sale follow the manufacturer’s instructions canada goose coats when it comes uk canada goose https://www.jacketstock.com to cleaning,” said Yakas. “They just don’t think these places can be dirty.”.