Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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DALL·E - A delicious-looking pizza with a perfectly baked crust, gooey cheese, and a variety of toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Someone is squirting Elmers glue on the pizza.

621. Pizza With White Glue

May 29, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating pizza made with white glue.

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

  • Katie Notopoulos on X: "It’s time https://t.co/hkTO5G9Eai" / X
  • SG-r01 on X: "https://t.co/6ALCbz6EjK" / X
  • Elmer's Glue-All - CAMEO
  • Elmer's
  • Polyvinyl acetate - CAMEO
  • Polyvinyl alcohol - CAMEO
  • Propylene glycol - CAMEO
  • Homemade white glue - Creative recipes - Educatall
  • Rutgers SEBS Chairs: Departments
  • Amazon.com: Elmer's White PVA Glue | 225 mL | Washable and Kid Friendly | Great for Making Slime and Crafting : Arts, Crafts & Sewing
  • The Elmer's Glue Pizza Error Is More Fascinating Than You Think
  • Google promised a better search experience — now it’s telling us to put glue on our pizza - The Verge
  • Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol Toxicity: What is Propylene Glycol? | Environmental Medicine | ATSDR
  • Public Health Statement Vinyl Acetate CAS#: 108-05-4
  • Elmers Safety Data Sheet.pdf
  • The role of beverage congeners in hangover and other residual effects of alcohol intoxication: a review - PubMed
May 29, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Pizza, White Glue, Toxicology

DALL·E - A man eating a sandwich with a cow standing next to him. The cow is trying to eat the sandwich too, slobbering and drooling a lot.

620. Making a Sandwich With Bruce the Cow

May 27, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from making a sandwich with "help" from Bruce the Cow.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Bruce the cow loves sandwiches (and I love Bruce) : r/StupidFood
  • Does the maternal grooming of cattle clean bacteria from the coat of calves? - ScienceDirect
  • Cattle Water Troughs as Reservoirs of Escherichia coli O157 - PMC
  • Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Environments of Culture-Positive Cattle - PMC
  • An investigation of Escherichia coli O157 contamination of cattle during slaughter at an abattoir - PubMed
  • Reducing the Risks of Pathogenic E. Coli Infections
  • Trying to eat breakfast with Bruce! #cow #brucethecow #food #snack #fi... | cows | TikTok
May 27, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Cows, Cross-contamination, Aerosols, Airborne spread

DALL·E - A sausage inside a clear plastic package laying next to a baseball bat on a wooden table. The sausage looks worn and dirty, as if it has been rolled around on the ground a lot.

619. Eating the Minnesota Twins Lucky Sausage

May 24, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating the Minnesota Twins lucky sausage in its current state.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • The Twins’ new home-run sausage is fueling their winning streak | MPR News
  • How the Minnesota Twins’ lucky summer sausage got made | MPR News
  • Original Tangy Summer Sausage - Cloverdale Foods
  • Rigdon | Texture of Fermented Summer Sausage With Differing pH, Endpoint Temperature, and High Pressure Processing Times | Meat and Muscle Biology
  • Dry and Semi-Dry Fermented and Direct Acidified Sausage Validation - Pork Information Gateway
May 24, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Baseball, Summer sausage, Sausage, Packaging

DALL·E - A nice aged piece of cheddar (?) cheese with a rich, golden-yellow color and a few holes, sitting on a rustic wooden board. Around the cheese, there are a few unhappy microbes.

618. Raw Cheese Made With Milk Containing HPAI

May 22, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming raw milk cheese made with milk containing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.

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

  • Cheddar Cheese as a Vehicle for Viruses - ScienceDirect
  • Poliovirus - Wikipedia
  • Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products (May 2010) | Food Safety and Inspection Service
May 22, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, Viruses, Raw milk, Cheese

DALL·E - A close-up of a clear glass filled with raw milk, placed on a wooden table. The milk looks cold and creamy. Surrounding the glass and within the milk are many happy microbes.

617. HPAI in Pasteurized Milk

May 20, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in pasteurized milk.

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

  • EPI-WIN
  • How CDC is monitoring influenza data to better understand the current avian influenza A (H5N1) situation in people | Avian Influenza (Flu)
  • Emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle
  • Bird Flu Highlights Concerns Around Raw Milk - The New York Times
  • Early Release - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Domestic Dairy Cattle and Cats, United States, 2024 - Volume 30, Number 7—July 2024 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC
  • The surprising physics of cats’ drinking | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Experiment (100x slower) - YouTube
  • Cutta Cutta (67x slower) - YouTube
  • Virginia Tech, MIT, Princeton collaborate on cat study that shows intriguing gravity issues
  • How Cats Lap: Water Uptake by Felis catus | Science
May 20, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, Viruses, Milk, Pasteurization

DALL·E - A refrigerated display case containing one package of ground beef. The ground beef package has a label that includes the words “The ground meats in this display have been produced using fresh and frozen meat”.

616. Thawing and Refreezing Meat Multiple Times

May 17, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing and refreezing meat multiple times.

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

  • What does Chronically Online mean? | Social Media Glossary by Keyhole
  • List of diss tracks - Wikipedia
  • The Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Beef, Explained - The New York Times
  • From east to west, ‘Canada’s Ultimate Challenge’ travels to hidden gems across the country - NOW Toronto
  • 233. 100 Hour Lasagna — Risky or Not?
  • Safely defrosting foods - Canada.ca
  • Food safety and you - Canada.ca
  • The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Validation of Mathematical Models for Salmonella Growth in Raw Ground Beef under Dynamic Temperature Conditions Representing Loss of Refrigeration - ScienceDirect
  • The Food Professor on X: "This was shared with me; it was seen in a grocery store in Ottawa. Have you ever seen a sign like this before? https://t.co/3opruzF6xj" / X
  • 8 Mile - Ending Battles (4K/UHD) - YouTube
May 17, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Beef, Freezing, Thawing, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7

DALL·E - A jar of pickles with a pork chop inside. A hand is reaching into the jar and pulling out the pork chop. The jar is transparent, filled with green pickles.

615. Pickles From a Jar Used to Marinate Raw Pork

May 15, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating pickles from a jar used to marinate raw pork.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Please Don’t eat the pickle!!!!!!this stunt was done by a professional !Pickle juice works great for brine especially on pork and chicken!… | Instagram
  • To what temperature should I cook pork?
  • Pathogens of Interest to the Pork Industry: A Review of Research on Interventions to Assure Food Safety - Baer - 2013 - Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety - Wiley Online Library
  • Risk profiles of pork and poultry meat and risk ratings of various pathogen/product combinations - ScienceDirect
  • Comparison of acids on the induction of an Acid Tolerance Response in Salmonella typhimurium, consequences for food safety - ScienceDirect
  • Exposure assessment of Salmonella spp. in fresh pork meat from two abattoirs in Colombia
May 15, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Pork, Pickles, Salmonella

DALL·E - A detailed illustration of a plate demonstrating the Waffle House marker system for orders. The plate features a standard breakfast setup with eggs… (note: this is total BS, DALL·E gets this completely wrong)

614. Waffle House Magic Marker System

May 13, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the food safety risks of the Waffle House magic marker system.

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

  • 559. Waffles — Risky or Not?
  • Reconcilable Differences #232: Ham Means One - Relay FM
  • Waffle House Training - Pull Drop Mark Order Calling Method - YouTube
  • Waffle House’s Magic Marker System
  • If the customer wants wheat toast, we simply flip the jelly pack over | MetaFilter
May 13, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Cross-contamination, Waffle House

DALL·E 2024-05-02 - A pair of stainless steel kitchen tongs being rinsed under a stream of very hot water, with steam rising from the contact. Nearby, a thermometer displays the temperature…

613. Poultry Grill Tongs Rinsed Under Very Hot Water

May 10, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of reusing poultry tongs after touching raw poultry that have only been rinsed under very hot (190 °F) water.

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

  • 140. Will's One Tong Grilling Method — Risky or Not?
  • How Hot Is the Water in Your Home?
  • Hot & Cold Water Dispenser Systems | InSinkErator US
  • Involve HC-View Instant Hot Water Dispenser System (HC-ViewC-SS) | InSinkErator


May 10, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Poultry, Cross-contamination, Tongs

DALL·E - A first-person perspective showing a woman's hands rinsing a blender under a stream of steaming hot water at a kitchen sink.

612. Making Smoothies in a Blender Carafe and Rinsing With Very Hot and High Pressure Water but No Soap

May 08, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making smoothies in a blender carafe and rinsing with very hot and high pressure water but no soap.

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

  • High Performance Blenders - Blending Machines | Vitamix
  • I Love Lucy | Lucy's Vitameatavegimen Commercial (S1, E30) | Paramount+ - YouTube
  • Mark Knopfler - Boom, Like That Lyrics | SongMeanings
  • Whole genome sequencing analyses of Listeria monocytogenes that persisted in a milkshake machine for a year and caused illnesses in Washington State | BMC Microbiology
  • Infectious Dose of Listeria monocytogenes in Outbreak Linked to Ice Cream, United States, 2015 - PMC
  • Frontiers | Recovery and Growth Potential of Listeria monocytogenes in Temperature Abused Milkshakes Prepared from Naturally Contaminated Ice Cream Linked to a Listeriosis Outbreak
  • Amazon.com: nutribullet Personal Blender for Shakes, Smoothies, Food Prep, and Frozen Blending, 24 Ounces, 600 Watt, Gray, (NBR-0601) : Everything Else
  • Amazon.com: For Vitamix Blender Pitcher 64oz, Replace 5200 5000 6500 7500 Pro500 750 Vita-Prep vm0101 vm0102 vm0103 vm0197 E310 320 asy172 Classic/Explorian/Commercial series etc Container Jar Cup,3 YR Warranty : Home & Kitchen
  • Amazon.com: 64 oz Replacement Container Pitcher Jar w/Lid and Blade for Vitamix Blenders (Low-Profile) : Home & Kitchen
  • How to Change a Vitamix Blade by Raw Blend | Video - YouTube
  • Care and Maintenance-Frequently Asked Questions-Household Resources | Vitamix
  • Flange - Wikipedia
May 08, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Blenders, Mixers, Listeria monocytogenes, Cleaning, Fruit

DALL·E - An outdoor restaurant under a bridge on a river, as seen from a passing boat. The setting includes tables and chairs neatly arranged… Lots of birds too

611. Eating at a Restaurant Under a Bridge

May 06, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating at a restaurant under a bridge at the San Antonio Riverwalk.

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

  • Under the Bridge - Wikipedia
  • The Drifters - Under the Boardwalk - YouTube
  • San Antonio River Walk
  • 535. Adults Eating at Picnic Tables With a Little Bit of Dried Bird Poop — Risky or Not?
  • Battle of the Alamo - Wikipedia
  • 213. Eating on an Active Fishing Pier — Risky or Not?
  • Food Establishment License - City of San Antonio
  • Certificate of Occupancy- Health Inspection Checklist


May 06, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Birds, Salmonella, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - A dusty jar of pickled quail eggs sits on a shelf in a dimly lit country store. The jar is old and unlabeled. Behind it, slightly out of focus, is another jar with a skull and crossbones.

610. Unrefrigerated Unlabeled Pickled Quail Eggs From a Country Store

May 03, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating unrefrigerated unlabeled pickled quail eggs from a country store.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Amazon.com : Buc-ee's Pickled Quail Eggs 16oz : Grocery & Gourmet Food
  • Buc-ee's in St. Augustine: Quail eggs, kolaches and other unusual eats
  • Physical and Microbiological Characteristics of Pickled Eggs from Physical and Microbiological Characteristics of Pickled Eggs from Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) of the Pharaoh Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) of the Pharaoh Variety
  • Pickled Eggs - National Center for Home Food Preservation
  • Foodborne Botulism From Eating Home-Pickled Eggs --- Illinois, 1997
  • Southern Coast Enterprises - 547377 - 05/25/2018 | FDA
May 03, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Eggs, Pickled foods, Botulism

DALL·E - A mysterious scene featuring a package full of gray powder in the foreground. In the background, a turkey appears worried, with its feathers slightly ruffled.

609. Unexpected Powdered Gravy

May 01, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from receiving unexpected powder in the mail.

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

  • Gravy delivered to Ontario legislature: police | CP24.com
  • Evaluation and Definition of Potentially Hazardous Foods.pdf
  • 2001 anthrax attacks - Wikipedia
  • Home | Food Protection and Defense Institute
May 01, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Gravy, Bioterrorism, Powder

DALL·E - A French chef in a traditional white uniform, including a toque (chef's hat), is simultaneously cracking two eggs. In one hand the chef is cracking the egg on the side of the pan, and in the other hand they're cracking an egg on flat table… supposedly.

608. Breaking Your Eggs on Something Pointed

April 29, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of breaking your eggs on something pointed versus something flat.

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

  • Jacques shows us a unique way to make fried eggs #jacquespepin #chef #... | jacques pepin | TikTok
  • Chickpea masala pancake. Ingredients: Chickpea savoury pancakes: - 1 ... | pancakes | TikTok
  • Betteridge's law of headlines - Wikipedia
  • Uncle (food) Zee - YouTube
  • Do you Crack Eggs on a Flat Surface or Sharp Surface (like side of the pan)? : r/Cooking
  • How Restaurants Prepare Eggs | EHS-Net | EHS | CDC
April 29, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Eggs, Salmonella, Egg shell

DALL·E - A poignant scene outdoors where a woman is giving direct mouth-to-mouth CPR to a baby rabbit. She is casually dressed without any medical equipment. Her cat looks on, ready to pounce.

607. Giving CPR to a Baby Rabbit

April 26, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of giving mouth-to-mouth CPR to a baby rabbit.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • sean: "today is a good day to remind everyone not to give wild rabbits mouth to mouth CPR" — Bluesky
  • Tularemia facts | American Veterinary Medical Association
  • Ecology of Tularemia in Central US Endemic Region | Current Tropical Medicine Reports
  • Tularemia - JAVMA, Vol 222, No. 6, March 15, 2003
  • Dr Ellie Murray, ScD on X: "Tularemia is a Category A pathogen, meaning its severity and transmissibility—and the fact that it’s relatively easy to get from wild rabbits—make it potentially modifiable into a bioweapon. Please don’t ever give a wild rabbit CPR." / X
  • CDC Tularemia | FAQ About Tularemia
  • How to deal with problem Rabbit in Delaware | WildlifeHelp.org


April 26, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Rabbit, Tularemia, Mouth, Mouth-to-mouth

DALL·E 2024-04-21 - Two mature men, approximately 45 and 55 years old, wearing traditional academic regalia consisting of black gowns, caps, and hoods, shaking hands.

606. Shaking Hands

April 24, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks posed by shaking hands.

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

  • Douglas (Alan) Powell | LinkedIn
  • Food Safety Talk 64: The One With Doug — Food Safety Talk
  • Learning through Teaching: A Microbiology Service-Learning Experience | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education
  • Relax—you actually don’t need to sanitize your food – TimeHorse
  • Harvard experts weigh in on the fate of the handshake — Harvard Gazette
  • Bowing Out of Shaking Hands? - Volume 28, Number 1—January 2022 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC
April 24, 2024 /Don Schaffner

DALL·E - A close-up image of a woman's clean hands using a vegetable peeler to peel an extremely dirty carrot safely over a kitchen sink, with minimal dirt on her hands

605. Only Washing Your Veggies After Peeling

April 22, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of washing vegetables after peeling instead of before peeling.

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

  • Quantification of Transfer of Salmonella from Citrus Fruits to Peel, Edible Portion, and Gloved Hands during Hand Peeling - ScienceDirect
  • Role of Salmonella Newport cell surface structures on bacterial attachment and transfer during cucumber peeling | Letters in Applied Microbiology | Oxford Academic
  • Enterobacter aerogenes B199A May Be an Effective Surrogate for Quantifying Transfer of Salmonella Newport 96E01152C-TX from Cucumber Peel to Edible Flesh and Peeler during Peeling - ScienceDirect
April 22, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Vegetables, Peeling, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - A dark and ominous image showing a single small apple slice inside a tiny, translucent plastic bag resting on a kitchen counter.

604. A Cut Apple That Has Been to School Twice

April 20, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of sending a kid to school with a cut apple that has already been to school the day before.

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

  • ComBase
  • Growth of Listeria monocytogenes within a Caramel-Coated Apple Microenvironment | mBio
  • Multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to whole apples used in commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples: United States, 2014–2015 | Epidemiology & Infection | Cambridge Core
  • Survival of outbreak, food, and environmental strains of Listeria monocytogenes on whole apples as affected by cultivar and wax coating | Scientific Reports
  • Fate of Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh Apples and Caramel Apples - ScienceDirect
  • Prevalence of Listeria Species on Food Contact Surfaces in Washington State Apple Packinghouses | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/pdis.2000.84.2.177
  • Bacterial meningitis in the United States in 1995. Active Surveillance Team - PubMed
  • Foods | Free Full-Text | Updated Parameters for Listeria monocytogenes Dose–Response Model Considering Pathogen Virulence and Age and Sex of Consumer
April 20, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Apple, Cut fruit, Listeria, Time temperature control for safety food

DALL·E 2 - An idyllic water reservoir scene depicted with a serene and peaceful environment. The lake is surrounded by lush greenery, and the water is remarkably clear but there is something shaped like a human body floating face down in the water.

603. Drinking Water That Had a Body in It for a Month

April 17, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking water from a reservoir that had a body in it for a month.

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

  • Center for Instructional Excellence Landing Page - Innovative Learning
  • Vision | Marvel's Avengers Assemble Wiki | Fandom
  • "On line" vs. "In line": Which Do You Say? - Dictionary.com
  • Highland Park reservoir broke EPA rules. It was never covered for drinking water safety. Why?
  • Steve Howe - Wikipedia
  • Highland Park, NJ | Home
  • Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water (Official Music Video) - YouTube
  • Wonderful Life (book) - Wikipedia
  • Progressive rock - Wikipedia
  • 450 Highland Ave - Google Maps
  • Shock the Monkey - Wikipedia
April 17, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Drinking water, Giardia, Cryptosporidium

Image from the video linked below

602. Hamburger Made With a Bun Touching Raw Meat

April 15, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating a burger made with the bun touching the raw meat during cooking.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • A Burger Scholar recreates the original White Castle slider 🤯 - YouTube
  • Our History - White Castle
  • Beastie Boys – Body Movin' Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Beastie Boys – Get It Together Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Beastie Boys – Slow and Low Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Beastie Boys' 'Licensed to Ill': White Castle VP Discusses Album on 30th Anniversary | Billboard
April 15, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Hamburger, Cross-contamination, Beef, E. coli O157:H7
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