A short podcast about everyday risks from germs
Justin’s actual frosting.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frosting that says "Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting up to 30 days" at room temperature after opening.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: Four cheerful club members gather around a table piled with dusty, vintage MRE packages. A wooden sign above them reads “Vintage MRE Club.” The group smiles with excitement, examining the old rations in a cozy, wood-paneled room that captures the nostalgic and quirky spirit of their unusual hobby.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming "vintage" (i.e., old) MREs from around the world, but focusing in those from the US.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
Screen capture from TikTok
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of meat from puffy or bloated packages.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
A man at a baseball stadium concession stand holds a hamburger, frowning at a messy stack of cheese slices on a tray. Another person’s hand reaches in to grab a slice, emphasizing the communal, slightly unsanitary feel. The baseball field is visible in the background.
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Ballpark cheeseburger made with with self-serve sticky cheese handled by others.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
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 👍🏼