A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

Image description: Actual baby and pumpkin from Facebook.

1000. Baby-Stuffed Pumpkin

October 30, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from placing a baby in a pumpkin.

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

ChatGPT image description: A husband concentrates on peeling a produce sticker from an apple while his wife watches with amused resignation. Stray fruit stickers cling to their faces, hair, clothes, and kitchen surfaces, suggesting this seemingly simple task has somehow gotten hilariously out of hand.

999. Washing Produce With the Sticker On

October 28, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from washing produce without first removing the sticker.

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

banana - Risky or Not?
Microbiological safety evaluations and recommendations on fresh produce - ScienceDirect - C. De Roever
Microbiological safety evaluations and recommendations on fresh produce - ScienceDirect - National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
Natural-Light Labeling of Tomatoes Does Not Facilitate Growth or Penetration of Salmonellainto the Fruit - ScienceDirect
CO2 Laser-labeling on Fresh Produce: Evaluating Postharvest Quality, Microbial Safety, and Economic Analysis - ScienceDirect

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997. Cutting Carrots With Your Mouth for a Slow Cooker Meal

October 23, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from "cutting" carrots with your mouth for a slow cooker meal.

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

ChatGPT image description: A surprised hockey player, dressed in full uniform and wearing oven mitts, removes a tray of steaming buffalo wings from the oven. Two sauce-covered wings have accidentally fallen into a clean stainless-steel kitchen sink. His wide-eyed expression captures the unexpected mishap.

994. Reheated Buffalo Wings That Fell Into a Clean Sink

October 16, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating reheated Buffalo wings that fell into a clean sink.

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

ChatGPT image description: Three medieval French soldiers prepare an absurd dish outdoors. One pours creamy soup over a squirrel into a bowl while another squirrel sits angrily in a wooden cage. Potatoes, leeks, onions, herbs, a mortar and pestle, and a large pot complete the comically elaborate “Vichy squirrel” preparation.

988. Consuming or Preparing Vichy Squirrel

October 02, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming or preparing Vichy squirrel.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT: A man eagerly eyes a leftover slice of pizza on a recently abandoned restaurant table, clasping his hands with anticipation. Beside him, his wife gives him a stern, disapproving look, clearly unimpressed by his apparent plan to eat the previous diners’ leftovers.

985. Eating Untouched Leftovers From the Previous Patron at a Restaurant

September 25, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating apparently untouched leftovers from a previous patron at an outdoor restaurant.

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

ChatGPT image: A man sits on a couch beside a black-and-white dog. Holding a used tissue near the dog’s nose, he appears poised to wipe his own nose with it. The dog watches him intently, as if questioning his questionable hygiene decision.

984. Sharing a Tissue With a Dog

September 23, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a tissue used for a dog (but not for a big snot glob).

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

ChatGPT image description: An open blue portable toilet stands outdoors. From the toilet bowl, a single arm reaches upward holding a bottle of Mountain Dew, creating a surreal, humorous scene. A safety sign and chain-link fence are visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

966. Drinking a Mountain Dew That You Accidentally Dropped in a Port-a-Potty

August 12, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking a Mountain Dew that you accidentally dropped in a port-a-potty.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT image description: Five bamboo toothbrushes stand in a rustic wooden holder on a weathered bathroom vanity. Four have colorful protective brush covers, while one exposed toothbrush is missing its cover. A pump soap dispenser, wood-framed mirror, and warm natural lighting complete the cozy, rustic setting.

959. Brushing Your Teeth With a Toothbrush That Was Not in a Toothbrush Protector

July 27, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from brushing your teeth with a toothbrush that was not in a toothbrush protector.

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

ChatGPT image description: A restaurant worker in a black uniform and gloves leans over a large roast beef sub sandwich in a commercial kitchen. She is visibly spitting onto the sandwich, creating an intentionally unsanitary scene. Food-preparation ingredients and an employee handwashing sign are visible in the background.

953. Herpes Spit Sandwich

July 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a sandwich contaminated with spit from someone with oral herpes.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT image description: An open takeout container of chicken tikka masala and rice sits beside a crowded hot tub. The curry appears diluted and splashed, with water droplets covering the container and table. Several children are visible in the background, suggesting the meal has been contaminated by hot-tub splash water.

950. Takeout Chicken Tikka Masala Splashed With Hot Tub Water

July 06, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating chicken tikka masala splashed with hot tub water.

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

ChatGPT image description: A person stands at the entrance to a berry-picking field holding a basket, facing a prominent warning sign that reads, “Norovirus is spiking in this area.” The sunny farm setting and cheerful berry-picking signage contrast with the health warning, creating a clear food-safety dilemma.

947. Pick Your Own Berries During a Norovirus Spike in June 2026

June 29, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating pick your own berries in an area during a norovirus spike in June 2026.

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

ChatGPT image description: Two restaurant employees stand in front of a commercial grill, looking embarrassed and slightly frazzled. Their uniforms are dusty and rumpled, hair is messy, and both wear uneasy expressions. Smoke rises from the grill behind them, suggesting a hectic kitchen mishap or an especially challenging shift.

943. Eating Food Cooked on a Restaurant Grill That Employees Have Used for Sex

June 19, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating food from a grill that had been previously used for sex.

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

Don't Get The Grilled Cheese

ChatGPT image description: A bright pink bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters sits on a bathroom counter beside a sink, toothbrush, toiletries, and a lavender candle. The oddly placed candy contrasts with the clean, everyday bathroom setting, creating a humorous and slightly unsettling scene.

936. Keeping Candy in the Bathroom

June 03, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of keeping candy in the bathroom.

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

935. Licking Someone Else's Ear Wax Off Your Finger

June 01, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of licking someone else's ear wax off your finger

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

934. Racing a Bike Through Belgian Toothpaste

May 29, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from racing a bike through belgian toothpaste (i.e., mud).

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

928. Keeping Your Shampoo Bottle on the Floor of the Shower

May 15, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from keeping your shampoo bottle on the floor of the shower.

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

ChatGPT image description: A man stands at a stove in a warm kitchen, eating chicken wings while tending a simmering pot. As he finishes each wing, he drops the bones directly into the boiling stock, blending casual eating with cooking in an unusual, slightly unsanitary preparation method.

927. Making Stock With Chewed or Licked Chicken Bones (Normal Style)

May 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating stock made from chewed or licked chicken bones, where are the chicken has been eaten "normal style".

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

Making stock with “chewed” chicken bones? : r/Cooking

ChatGPT image description: A man cooks in a warm, modern kitchen while wearing earbuds, pausing thoughtfully with sauce-covered hands. A woman asks him a question nearby. A thought bubble shows his dilemma: touch his phone to pause a podcast or keep cooking. Fresh ingredients and a simmering pot surround him.

926. Touching Your Phone in the Middle of Prepping Dinner

May 11, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from touching your phone in the middle of prepping dinner.

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

ChatGPT image description: A conflicted man stands beside a trash can in a dim movie theater hallway, hesitating over a large tub of leftover popcorn resting on top. His hand hovers uncertainly as other patrons walk away. A nearby sign urges proper trash disposal, underscoring the awkward, tempting situation.

925. Eating Someone Else's Leftover Popcorn at the Movies

May 08, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating someone else's leftover popcorn at the movies.

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