A short podcast about everyday risks from germs
Figure from Barbut et at., 1987 of hard cooked egg shelf life
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating air cooled hard boiled eggs after a week at room temperature.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
ChatGPT image text: A lifeless British admiral from 1800 lies preserved in a wooden barrel filled with brandy, camphor, and myrrh. His ornate naval uniform contrasts with his pale face as eerie fumes rise, creating a haunting, atmospheric scene of death, preservation, and solemn reverence aboard a dimly lit ship.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking drinking Horatio Nelson' embalming fluid made with brandy, with camphor and myrrh.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
ChatGPT image text: In a warehouse store, a smiling employee in a red apron offers food samples while a serious professor in a white lab coat studies the setup, arms crossed.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming Costco free food samples.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
ChatGPT image text: A hotel bathroom shows a broken showerhead spilling rusty water into a white tub. Shattered metal pieces lie near the drain as orange-brown stains spread across the porcelain. Chrome fixtures and patterned tiles contrast sharply with the discolored water, emphasizing the scene’s unsettling mix of damage and contamination.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of standing in a hotel bathroom in Athens Greece after a shower head explodes.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
A blonde Canadian man sits in a bathtub, spitting out red wine after discovering a fly in his glass. He grips a video game controller in his other hand, looking shocked and disgusted. A Canadian flag hangs behind him, emphasizing his nationality amid the tiled bathroom backdrop.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Consuming a fly in wine, on two different occasions.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
A dented aluminum can with “BEER” crossed out by a bold red X and “LACF” beneath it seeps neon green slime from the seam near the closed pull top. The ooze dribbles down the side and pools below, creating a vivid, unsettling contrast against the plain background.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a beer canning line to package low acid canned food that will not be refrigerated.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
DALL·E image text: A cheerful Canadian-looking professor in a plaid flannel shirt and beanie gives a thumbs-up inside a refrigerator set at 37°F. In the foreground, a clear container holds golden garlic confit, contrasting with the cold, clean interior. His proud expression highlights satisfaction with his perfectly chilled fridge.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing garlic confit at 37 °C (in Ben's refrigerator) for two weeks.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
ChatGPT: A sad-looking man rests his face in his hands at a table, staring at eight identical glasses of water lined up in front of him. His furrowed brow and downturned mouth suggest reluctance and weariness, as though the task of drinking them all feels overwhelming.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks if you don't drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A Massachusetts beach scene features a bold yellow warning sign. The red header reads “WARNING,” followed by black text stating: “RARE Vibrio vulnificus BACTERIA.” The sign stands prominently in the foreground, while behind it stretch sandy shores, rolling waves, grassy dunes, and a partly cloudy blue sky, creating a stark contrast.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of going to the beach with a Vibrio vulnificus alert.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A person rinses fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries under a modern faucet using a metal strainer. In the background, a sleek electronic fruit-washing gadget sits cracked and broken, unused on the counter. The contrast highlights the simplicity of hand-washing berries compared to the failure of the fancy device.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of just washing produce in plain water vs. a fancy gizmo.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A shrimp superhero stands ready for battle, muscular and armored with its shell, wearing a red cape and a glowing radioactive emblem. Green smoke rises from a cracked glowing sphere nearby, casting an eerie glow over the dark city skyline as the shrimp radiates determination and power.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating shrimp impacted by the recent recall.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A packaged Teewurst sausage labeled “Cook to 165°F for regulatory purposes,” “Raw Pork,” and “Spread on a cracker and enjoy raw,” with a photo of the spread on a cracker. The sausage is vacuum-sealed in clear plastic with metal clips at each end.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming teewurst that is made from raw meat which says that it must be cooked to 165°F.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
DALL·E image text: An older male food microbiology professor in a lab coat stares puzzled at a Boxelder bug on his finger. He wears glasses and has a gray beard. A bottle of maple syrup and a microscope are in the background, adding context to the quirky, scientific setting.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from squishing a bug that smells like maple syrup.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A stack of smooth cedar planks soaks in a stainless steel tub filled with water. In the background, fresh salmon fillets rest on a metal tray, ready for cooking. The warm wood tones contrast with the cool, clean kitchen setting, evoking preparation for cedar plank grilling.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from soaking cedar planks to be used for cooking salmon in water at room temperature.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A ceramic bowl overflows with ripe, red raspberries, sitting on a sunlit kitchen counter. Soft daylight filters through a nearby window, casting a warm, nostalgic glow. The slightly worn surfaces and muted tones of the background contrast with the vivid freshness of the berries, suggesting they were recently picked and forgotten.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of leaving raspberries at room temperature for about 28 hours.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A golden-crusted loaf of sliced white bread sits on a pastel blue countertop in a cheerful 1950s kitchen, surrounded by mint-green tiles, yellow curtains, and red accents, all bathed in soft daylight, creating a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from white bread.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A woman in a white bathrobe stands in a hotel bathroom, holding a white towel with a large brown stain. She looks shocked and disgusted, her eyes wide and mouth open. The warm-toned bathroom shows a sink, mirror, and a glimpse of the hotel room in the background.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a towel with a "big brown streak".
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
Six pieces of assorted sushi sit on a beige kitchen counter. The lighting is dim and moody, suggesting the sushi has been left out overnight. The rolls and nigiri look slightly dried, with a soft focus on the background showing tiled walls and part of a stainless steel utensil holder.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating sushi left on the counter overnight.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
A person pours frozen spinach leaves from a green retail bag into a blender. The spinach appears frosty and leafy, not cubed. The scene is set on a beige countertop with soft lighting, and the person wears a gray T-shirt, focusing attention on the action and the vibrant green ingredients.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating raw frozen spinach in a smoothie.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
A sealed bag of chargrilled cooked chicken sits upright against a neutral background. One chicken piece is stuck in the top seam, with the exposed end unusually blue. The packaging features clear plastic with bold blue labels reading “COOKED CHICKEN” and “CHARGRILLED 60g,” showing grilled chicken pieces inside.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating cooked chicken from a bag where one piece of chicken was caught in the bag seam.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼