41: Butter at Room Temperature

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing butter at room temperature

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Exposure of Listeria monocytogenes within an epidemic caused by butter in Finland - ScienceDirect
• Viability of Pathogenic Organisms in Butter.
• Applied Dairy Microbiology, Second Edition - Google Books
• Can You Leave Butter Out?
• Food Safety During Power Outage | FoodSafety.gov
• Microbiological Safety and Quality of Food - Google Books
• Evaluation and Definition of Potentially Hazardous Foods
• Viability of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes in butter, yellow fat spreads, and margarine as affected by temperature and physical abuse - ScienceDirect

40: Refrozen Butter

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of refreezing butter.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Which Foods Can be Refrozen and Which Can't - UGA
• The Big Thaw

39: Chapman's Backyard Poultry

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Ben's backyard (and front yard) poultry flock.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Backyard Poultry Flocks and Salmonellosis: A Recurring, Yet Preventable Public Health Challenge | Clinical Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic Salmonella Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices: A Survey of Backyard Poultry Owners Residing in Seattle, Washington and the Surrounding Metropolitan Area
• Notes from the Field: Environmental Investigation of a Multistate Salmonellosis Outbreak Linked to Live Backyard Poultry from a Mail-Order Hatchery — Michigan, 2018
• Outbreaks of Human Salmonella Infections Associated with Live Poultry, United States, 1990–2014
• WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Thanksgiving - YouTube
• Food Safety Talk 149: Free-range, Grass-fed Raised Unicorns — Food Safety Talk
• About Risky or Not... and our music by Jonathan Coulton

38: Black Coffee at Room Temperature

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of holding black coffee at room temperature all day.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Antibacterial activity of tea (Camellia sinensis) and coffee (Coffee arabica) with special reference to Salmonella typhimurium. - Abstract - Europe PMC
• Antibacterial Activity of Coffee Extracts and Selected Coffee Chemical Compounds against Enterobacteria | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
• Food Safety Considerations for Coffee and Tea Brewers | Food Safety & Quality Blog
• Death Wish coffee recall: Nitro Cold Brew can kill you

37: Tea at Room Temperature

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making or holding tea at room temperature.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Genmaicha - Wikipedia
• What You Should Know Before Sipping Your Next Batch of Sun Tea, According to a Food Microbiologist | News Break
• Health Relevance of the Presence of Fecal Coliforms in Iced Tea and Leaf Tea
• Herbal Tea recalled in Canada for Salmonella risk | Food Safety News
• Herbal tea for infants, adults recalled because of Salmonella risk | Food Safety News
• Survival of Salmonella on chamomile, peppermint, and green tea during storage and subsequent survival or growth following tea brewing - PubMed
• Survival of Salmonella on Chamomile, Peppermint, and Green Tea during Storage and Subsequent Survival or Growth following Tea Brewing | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press
• US6120825A - Method for the hygienic preparation, storage, handling and dispensing of tea - Google Patents

36: Sucking the Air Out of a Meat Bag

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of sucking the air out of a meat bag

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Lakeside Refrigerated Services Recalls Beef Products due to Possible E.coli O157:H7 Contamination

• Food Safety Talk 79: You’re Into Botulism Country (with Merlin Mann) — Food Safety Talk

35: Reusing Red Onion Pickling Brine

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks or reusing reusing red onion pickling brine

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Quick Pickled Onions Recipe | Bon Appetit

• Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Newport: Red Onions (July 2020) | FDA

34: Thawing Frozen Fish in Vacuum Packed Bag

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing frozen fish in vacuum packed bag

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• NACMCF report on MAP fishery products

• Conservative Prediction of Time to Clostridium botulinum Toxin Formation for Use with Time-Temperature Indicators To Ensure the Safety of Foods | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press

• Consumer home refrigeration practices: results of a web-based survey - PubMed

33: Black Garlic

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of fermenting black garlic

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Black garlic - Wikipedia

• Black Garlic – food safety – Dr. Brian Nummer PhD

32: Food Stored in a Delivery Bag in a Restroom

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating food stored in a delivery bag in a restroom

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• (12) JSmith on Twitter: “Risky or Not? @benjaminchapman @bugcounter https://t.co/n5mMp5MxKv” / Twitter

• Bathroom-stored grocery bag fingered in norovirus outbreak | CIDRAP

31: Rice Left in a Warming Rice Cooker Over Night

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating rice left in a warming rice cooker over night

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Neuro Fuzzy® Rice Cooker & Warmer NS-ZCC10/18 | Zojirushi.com

• Bacillus cereus - Wikipedia

30: Cutting Mold Off Hard Cheese

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cutting mold off hard cheese

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Formation of Aflatoxin in Cheddar Cheese by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus - ScienceDirect

29: Methanol Hand Sanitizer

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risk of methanol hand sanitizer.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• FDA updates on hand sanitizers consumers should not use | FDA

• Serious Adverse Health Events, Including Death, Associated with Ingesting Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Containing Methanol — Arizona and New Mexico, May–June 2020 | MMWR

• 8 People in U.S. Have Died After Ingesting Hand Sanitizer Containing ‘Toxic’ Methanol

• Toxicity of Methyl alcohol (Methanol) Following Skin Absorption and Inhalation | Industrial & Engineering Chemistry

• The hidden danger of hand sanitizer | MDedge Psychiatry

28: Bar Soap

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using bar soap

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Washing with contaminated bar soap is unlikely to transfer bacteria

27: Eating at a Restaurant in Times of COVID-19

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating at a restaurant in times of COVID-19

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Raleigh restaurant professionally cleaned after coronavirus patient ate there :: WRAL.com

• Considerations for Restaurants and Bars | COVID-19 | CDC

26: Dried Pig Ear Pet Treats

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from dried pig ear pet treats to pet owners.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Infections Linked to Contact with Pig Ear Pet Treats | Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Pet Treats | July 2019 | Salmonella | CDC

• The Occurrence and Anti‐microbial Susceptibility of Salmonellae Isolated from Commercially Available Pig Ear Pet Treats - Finley - 2008 - Zoonoses and Public Health - Wiley Online Library

25: Vaping

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from vaping in light of recent CDC reports.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• Update: Demographic, Product, and Substance-Use Characteristics of Hospitalized Patients in a Nationwide Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injuries — United States, December 2019 | MMWR

• Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with the Use of E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products | Electronic Cigarettes | Smoking & Tobacco Use | CDC

24: Puppies

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the microbiological risks from puppies.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• Outbreak of Multidrug-resistant Campylobacter Infections Linked to Contact with Pet Store Puppies | Multidrug-resistant Campylobacter Infections Linked to Contact with Pet Store Puppies | December 2019 | Campylobacter | CDC

23: iPhones and the Immunocompromised

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from the immunocompromised handling devices like iPhones.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

• (2) Todd Vaziri on Twitter: “@bugcounter I have a friend with a kid who is in chemo, and is wondering what is the best way to sanitize iPhones and electronics? My initial thought is the glass/metal of a bare iPhone is relatively easy to clean… but the plastic/rubber cases are much harder.” / Twitter

• Your Cell Phone Is 10 Times Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat | Time

• Why your cellphone has more germs than a toilet | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences | The University of Arizona

• Why your cellphone has more germs than a toilet - TODAY Health

22: Open Fridge for Two Hours

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from leaving your refrigerator open for two hours.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

• (2) Justin on Twitter: “@bugcounter someone left the door to our fridge open since 12:00 or 12:30. It is now 2:00 when we discovered the open door and the thermometer reads 50 degrees. Throw out all the food, or shut the fridge door and continue with our lives?” / Twitter

• ComBase

• Food Safety During Power Outage | FoodSafety.gov