Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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Here's the image of a fictional package of beef jerky labeled as "Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky Company," designed for social media promotion.

587. Homemade Jerky From Facebook Marketplace

March 11, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating homemade beef jerky from facebook marketplace.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Marketplace - Beef jerky | Facebook
  • Jerky and Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • FSIS Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky Produced by Small and Very Small Establishments | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Jersey Mike's Subs - Menu
  • Fate of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Species in Ground Beef Jerky - ScienceDirect
  • Home-Style Beef Jerky: Effect of Four Preparation Methods on Consumer Acceptability and Pathogen Inactivation - ScienceDirect
  • About Uncle Mike's | Uncle Mike's
  • The Naughty Nineties | Who’s on First? — Abbott and Costello - YouTube
  • Marketplace - Apple Mac Pro (Late 2013)-$500(Wake Forest, Raleigh) | Facebook
March 11, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Jerky, Dehydration, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella

586. Jane's Raw Ground Beef in the Deli Station

March 08, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing raw ground beef in a deli preparation station near ready-to-eat foods.

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

  • FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Ground Beef Products That Tested Positive for E. Coli O157:H7 | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Sampling Verification Activities for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC) in Raw Beef Products - Revision 6 | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Management of Risk of Microbial Cross-Contamination from Uncooked Frozen Hamburgers by Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer - ScienceDirect
  • Public Health Effects of Performance Standards for Ground Beef and Beef Manufacturing Trimmings
March 08, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Beef, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - An illustration showing a priest, dressed in traditional religious attire, solemnly holding a communion cup. The cup is intricately designed but covered in exaggerated, cartoonish germs.

585. Drinking From a "Common Cup" for Communion

March 06, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking from a "common cup" for communion.

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

  • Holy Communion and Infection Transmission: A Literature Review - PMC
  • Risk of the Common Communion Cup
  • Risk of Infectious Disease Transmission from a Common Communion Cup - St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church & School
  • Risk of Infectious Disease Transmission from a Common Communion Cup - ScienceDirect
  • Risk of Infectious Disease Transmission from a Common Communion Cup - American Journal of Infection Control
  • Could The Stanley Cup Spread Disease? | NC State News
  • 153. Drinking From the Stanley Cup, COVID Edition — Risky or Not?
  • Big Dumb Cups - SNL - YouTube
  • Stanley Drinkware & Gear | Bottles, Tumblers, Growlers & More – Stanley 1913
  • A note about receiving Holy Communion by intinction | Diocese in Europe
March 06, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Cross-contamination, Drinking, Cups

DALL·E - A whimsical scene of a chicken sitting in a kitchen sink, embodying an unusual and humorous juxtaposition. The chicken, with its feathers fluffed out…

584. Chicken Washed With Bleach and Soap

March 04, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating chicken washed with bleach and soap

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • KING 👑 on X: "If y’all needed some understanding as to why you don’t eat at everybody’s house here’s some. https://t.co/N2BDpDavRq" / X
  • Cleaning and Disinfecting With Bleach | CDC
  • Effect of Exposure of Meat and Poultry to Chlorinated Water on the Retention of Chlorinated Compounds and Water - Cunningham - 1977 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Su1776 A Series of Detergent Pod Ingestions in Toddlers - Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
  • Household bleaches based on sodium hypochlorite: Review of acute toxicology and poison control center experience - ScienceDirect
  • Cleaning and Disinfectant Chemical Exposures and Temporal Associations with COVID-19 — National Poison Data System, United States, January 1, 2020–March 31, 2020 | MMWR
March 04, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Chicken, Chlorine bleach, Soap, Cleaning, Disinfection

DALL·E - A whimsical and surreal scene where a goldfish is swimming through a hole in a wooden table filled with clear, sparkling water…

583. Food From a Table With Live Fish Swimming in It

March 01, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating at a table with live fish swimming in it.

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

  • A tea table with a filter#teatable #table #coffeetable #diningtable #woodentable #desk #carpentry #fishculture #fish #growflowers #tealife | Instagram
  • XIMU Tea House
  • Place a table by the window for coffee and fish farming.#table#teatable#coffeetable #diningtable #woodentable #desk #carpentry #fishculture… | Instagram
  • Fish | Healthy Pets, Healthy People | CDC
  • 213. Eating on an Active Fishing Pier — Risky or Not?
  • 290. Yeeting a Real Fish Into a Crowd — Risky or Not?
  • 493. Visiting a Fish Market — Risky or Not?


March 01, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Fish, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - An elderly man stands in a grocery store, next to a large pot of soup, eating soup directly from a ladle with no bowl in his hands…

582. Soup After Someone Has Tasted That Soup From the Ladle in a Grocery Store Hot Bar

February 28, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of getting soup after someone has tasted that soup from the ladle in a grocery store hot bar.

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

  • @ask_aubry • This is why I have trust issues. • Threads
  • Serving Up Safe Buffets | FDA
  • Minimally Invasive Saliva Testing to Monitor Norovirus Infection in Community Settings | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic
  • An Outbreak of Norovirus Infection from Shellfish Soup Due to Unforeseen Insufficient Heating During Preparation - PubMed
February 28, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Hot holding, Soup, Cross-contamination, Norovirus

DALL·E - A two-year-old child, looking realistic, has a runny nose with boogers, but 50% less than before, visibly coming out…

581. Bread Pudding Made From a 2 Year Old Child's Leftover Crusts

February 26, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of bread pudding made from a 2 year old child's leftover crusts.

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

  • My 2yo son doesn't eat the crusts of his toast, so we save them up and make bread and butter pudding. : r/shittyfoodporn
  • Bread and Butter Pudding | RecipeTin Eats
  • Effect of Water Activity on the Growth Kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus in Ground Bread Crumb - Feeherry - 2003 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Desserts : Red Fish Grill Restaurant : New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Napoleon House : In The French Quarter : New Orleans
February 26, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Bread, Staphylococcus

DALL·E - Create an image of a white hand towel hanging on a sleek metal towel rack, with exactly three dirty handprints visible on its surface.

580. Not Washing Hand Towels After 3 Uses

February 23, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of not washing hand towels after 3 uses.

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

  • How Often Should You Wash Your Bath Towel? | Houston Methodist On Health
  • A Study of Bacterial Contaminants of Cloth and Paper Towels
  • Are You Washing Your Bathroom Hand Towels Enough?
  • Bacterial Occurrence in Kitchen Hand Towels
  • The microbiological quality of washing-up water and the environment in domestic and commercial kitchens - PubMed.)
  • Residual moisture determines the level of touch-contact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing. - PMC
  • Quantifying the Effect of Hand Wash Duration, Soap Use, Ground Beef Debris, and Drying Methods on the Removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on Hands - ScienceDirect
February 23, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Towels, Cross-contamination

579. Mike's Car Baked Mac and Cheese

February 21, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Mike's car baked mac and cheese at Bonnaroo.

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

  • 568. Sandy Ocean Rinsed Pizza — Risky or Not?
  • Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival – Manchester, TN | June 13-16, 2024
  • Costco Kirkland Signature Mac and Cheese Review - Costcuisine
  • Imgur image of the item
  • Presentation: An Assessment of Time/Temperature Combinations for Salmonella Lethality Achieved when Baking Cookies in Vehicles (IAFP 2016 Annual Meeting)
  • 182. Dashboard Cookies — Risky or Not?
  • Nestlé may shut plant at the center of 2022 French E. coli outbreak | Food Safety News
February 21, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Macaroni and cheese, Car cooking, Time temperature control for safety

DALL·E - A 1950s Chevrolet with a giant refrigerator sticking out the roof

578. Haley's Aunt's Car "Refrigerator"

February 19, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Haley's Aunt using her car as a refrigerator

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Costco Chicken Pot Pie (Calories, Nutrition, more!)
  • Kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham, Hickory Smoked, 9 lb avg wt | Costco
  • Listeria monocytogenes Dose Response Revisited—Incorporating Adjustments for Variability in Strain Virulence and Host Susceptibility - Pouillot* - 2015 - Risk Analysis - Wiley Online Library
  • Food Safety Talk 298: Stop Dumping In My Tubes — Food Safety Talk
  • Hams and Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service


February 19, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Time temperature control for safety, Cars

DALL·E - A chocolate chip cookie on a sea of bubbling wax

577. Baking Cookies on Wax Paper

February 16, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from baking cookies on wax paper.

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

  • Loonies and Toonies Canadian Dollar Coins
  • pre taped call in show - YouTube
  • Ash Wednesday - Wikipedia
  • Can You Bake With Wax Paper? | MyRecipes
  • used wax paper instead of parchment, is my food still safe to eat? : r/Cooking
  • Wax Paper | Reynolds Brands
  • Reynolds Group Holdings - Wikipedia
  • Parchmentising - Wikipedia
  • Twaddell scale - Wikipedia
  • What is wax paper?
February 16, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Cookies, Wax paper, Toxicology

576. Driving With a Teen on a Learner's Permit

February 14, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks associated with teenagers driving with a learners permit.

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

  • Points of Personal Privilege
  • Analysis of the fatal crash involvements of 15-year-old drivers - ScienceDirect
  • The Effects of Driving Age, Driver Education, and Curfew Laws on Traffic Fatalities of 15–17 Year Olds1 - Levy - 1988 - Risk Analysis - Wiley Online Library
  • Sixteen years age limit for learner drivers in Sweden—an evaluation of safety effects - ScienceDirect
  • The learner's permit - ScienceDirect
  • North Carolina Graduated Driver License Informational Handout
February 14, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Teenagers, Driving, Automobiles

DALL·E - a tray of ice cubes underneath a package of frozen ground beef

575. Ice Stored Under Factory Packaged Frozen Raw Ground Beef

February 12, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming ice stored under factory package frozen raw ground beef.

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

  • 80% Lean Ground Beef | ALDI US
  • Thermal Expansion and Density | EARTH 111: Water: Science and Society
  • Prevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli on the External Packaging of Raw Meat - ScienceDirect
February 12, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Ice, Beef, E. coli O157:H7, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - a sliced loaf of bread with sawdust falling out

574. Sawdust Bread

February 09, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating bread made with some amount of sawdust.

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

  • Can I taste the difference between six different "flavors" of sawdust bread? - YouTube
  • Chapter 3 - Carbohydrates - From Glucose to Oat Bran to Sawdust
  • Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History - H. E. Jacob - Google Books
  • Omnibus Episode 584: The Ice Trade (Entry 615.PS14717)
  • Wood Dust - Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • Is there a name for food grade sawdust? - Quora
  • Wood Dust - Cancer-Causing Substances - NCI
  • A Brief History of Wood Pulp in Food - Cornucopia Institute


February 09, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Sawdust, Bread, Cellulose, Toxicology

DALL·E - a Meringue pie

573. Meringue

February 07, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming meringue.

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

February 07, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Meringue, Eggs, Salmonella

DALL·E - A raindrop falling off an awning into a cup of coffee in the style of MC Escher

572. Awning Drip Coffee

February 05, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking a cup of coffee into which a drop of water from an awning has fallen.

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

  • A global review of the microbiological quality and potential health risks associated with roof-harvested rainwater tanks | npj Clean Water
  • 562. Using Graywater or Rainwater in a Bidet — Risky or Not?
  • Microbiological Quality of Roof‐Harvested Rainwater and Health Risks: A Review - Ahmed - 2011 - Journal of Environmental Quality - Wiley Online Library
  • Big Yellow Taxi - Wikipedia
  • Raised on Robbery - Wikipedia
  • Trans Canada Highwaymen - Trans Canada Highwaymen
  • New Album: Some Guys - Jonathan Coulton


February 05, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Coffee, Salmonella, Rainwater, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - A hockey referee gracefully bending over to pick gum up off the ice in the style of Johannes Vermeer

571. Hockey Ice Gum

February 02, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of chewing a piece of gum that you picked off the ice at a hockey game.

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

  • 176. Beer Brewed With Hockey Ice — Risky or Not?
  • Ken Kesey - Wikiquote
  • Who coined "don't yuck my yum"? : r/etymology
  • Zebrasclub - The #1 Online Store for Hockey Referee Equipment
  • Human exposure to air contaminants in sports environments - Salonen - 2020 - Indoor Air - Wiley Online Library
  • Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis infection linked to the international ice hockey tournament | Epidemiology & Infection | Cambridge Core
February 02, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Chewing gum, Hockey, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - a dish of ceviche

570. Ceviche

January 31, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating ceviche.

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

  • Ceviche - Wikipedia
  • Effect of Lime Juice on Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella enterica Inactivation during the Preparation of the Raw Fish Dish Ceviche - ScienceDirect
  • 129. Sushi From Non-Sushi Grade Fish — Risky or Not?
  • sushi - Risky or Not?
  • Ceviche - Google Scholar
  • Ethnic food: A microbiological evaluation of black shellfish ceviche that is sold in typical restaurants - ScienceDirect
  • Microbiological safety and quality of ceviche, poke, and sushi dishes sold at retail outlets in Orange County, CA04069-0.pdf)
  • Is sushi safe?
  • National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) Dashboard | CDC
  • Ceviche Trends, Data and Analytics | Tastewise
January 31, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Ceviche, Raw fish, Sushi, Vibrio, Salmonella

DALL·E - White Russian cocktail in a woman's cleavage

569. Breast Milk White Russian Cocktail

January 29, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking a White Russian cocktail made with human breastmilk.

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

  • Coffee Creamer Note
  • “Careful Man. There’s A Beverage Here!” 6 Variations On Lebowski’s White Russian
  • Proper Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk | Breastfeeding | CDC
  • Maternal and Infant Lactation Knowledge (MILK) Research and Education
  • Storage of Unfed and Leftover Mothers' Own Milk - PubMed
  • Stability of the Antimicrobial Capacity of Human Milk Against Cronobacter Sakazakii During Handling - PubMed


January 29, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Breast milk, Alcohol, White Russian, The Big Lebowski

DALL·E - pizza slice covered in sand floating in the ocean

568. Sandy Ocean Rinsed Pizza

January 26, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating pizza dropped in the sand and rinsed in the ocean.

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

  • Radiation Vibe - Wikipedia
  • 448. Pool Pizza — Risky or Not?
  • Rapidly measured indicators of recreational water quality and swimming-associated illness at marine beaches: a prospective cohort study | Environmental Health | Full Text
  • 334. Snacklebox — Risky or Not?
  • Shibumi Shade - The Original Wind Powered® Beach Shade
  • NESO - Beach Tents, Furniture and more for your Next Sunny Adventure. – Neso
January 26, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Pizza, Salt water, Sand
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