A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

ChatGPT image description: A cheerful hippie in a tie-dye shirt and headband steps out of a used clothing store, carrying a huge bundle of secondhand clothes. He smiles behind round sunglasses as he walks past the brick storefront, overflowing garments in his arms suggesting a successful thrift haul.

862. Wearing "New" Clothes Without Washing

December 12, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of wearing "new" (to you) clothes without washing first.

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

Robot or Not? - a podcast from The Incomparable
Ep. 604: "Unintentional Curator" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
Potential Skin Pathogens on Second Hand Clothes and the Effectiveness of Disinfection Methods - Semantic Scholar
"Public Health Implications of Retailer Resale of Returned Textile Clot" by Antonette M. A. Francis-Shearer
Contaminated clothing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers is a potential source of transmission - ScienceDirect
Second-Hand Clothe, a New Threat for Acquiring Parasitic Infection - PMC

ChatGPT image description: A stern Swiss Guard in a traditional striped uniform carefully cleans his teeth with the toothpick from a Swiss Army knife. Painted in a classical oil style, he focuses intently, unaware of how absurdly mundane the task looks beside his ceremonial halberd and dignified Renaissance attire.

853. Using a Swiss Army Knife Toothpick

November 21, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a swiss army knife toothpick.

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

ChatGPT image description: A beautifully roasted turkey rests in a pan, stuffed with golden bread cubes and vegetables. A meat thermometer inserted directly into the stuffing reads 165°F, signaling safe doneness. The turkey’s crispy skin glistens, and the scene looks ready for a festive meal.
Don: And once again ChatGPT really does not understand thermometers or numbers on a scale. It doesn't really understand what a turkey might look like either.

848. Cooking Stuffing Inside the Turkey

November 10, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking stuffing inside the turkey.

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

ChatGPT image description: A serious hockey coach in a trench coat stands before a brick wall, opening the coat to reveal colorful mouthguards neatly attached inside. He grips a hockey stick, looking intense and slightly suspicious, echoing the classic “street vendor with stolen goods” pose but with sports gear instead of watches.

847. Using a "Found" Pocket Mouth Guard

November 07, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a mouthguard from the coaches mouthguard pocket.

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

A cartoon chef-cat wearing a tall white hat stirs a bubbling pot on the stove, eyes wide in alarm. A smug brown mouse stands proudly on the spoon, unfazed by the chaos as tomatoes and sauce fly through the air in a lively, kitchen-mishap scene.

845. Family Dinner Into Which a Cat Dropped a Mouse

November 03, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating dinner into which a cat dropped a mouse.

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

840. DIY French Burger Kit

October 22, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating food from a DIY french burger kit.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

DALL·E image text: A frustrated person furiously scrubs a glass under a stream of steaming hot water from a faucet. Their face is tense and teeth clenched, with steam rising and water splashing in all directions. No soap is used, and their reddened hands show the heat of the scalding water.

834. Washing Drinking Glasses With Only Hot Water and Friction

October 08, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of washing drinking glasses with only hot water and friction.

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

DALL·E image: A teenage hockey player in full gear holds up his skate and licks the icy blade. Wearing a black helmet, red jersey, and gloves, he leans in with his tongue touching the blade. The rink background is blurred, emphasizing his focused expression and the unusual act.

830. Eating Skate Ice

September 29, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating ice off of your hockey skates.

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.

826. Ballpark Cheeseburger With Self-Serve Sticky Cheese

September 19, 2025 by Don Schaffner

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 👍🏼

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.

821. Consuming a Fly in Wine, Twice

September 08, 2025 by Don Schaffner

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 👍🏼

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.

809. Using a Towel With a "Big Brown Streak"

August 11, 2025 by Don Schaffner

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 👍🏼

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.

806. Chicken From a Bag With Chicken in the Seam

August 04, 2025 by Don Schaffner

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 👍🏼

805. Mamma Birding (Chewing Food for Other People)

August 01, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating food someone else has chewed and sent through the mail to you.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

“Figure” from Deep States original message

801. Letting Your Drunk Partner Cook Raw Chicken While You Prepare a Fresh Salad in a Small Kitchen

July 23, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of preparing a salad in a small kitchen while your drunk partner cooks raw chicken.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

This image shows a refrigerator shelf with four labeled bottles of breast milk and three sealed storage bags neatly stacked. The containers are marked with volume measurements, and a breast pump part is placed nearby. The scene is clean, organized, and well-lit, emphasizing safe and tidy milk storage.

799. Combining Breastmilk Collected in Shells Over Three Days to Feed a Healthy Infant

July 18, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of collecting breastmilk in shells over three days to feed to a healthy infant.

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

A Canadian man in a red maple leaf cap slyly slips two plastic forks, tines down, into his jeans pocket inside a colorful Mexican chain restaurant. He looks around nervously, framed by a neon cactus sign and a bright menu board in the background.

797. Ben's Pants Pocket Forks

July 14, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of putting plastic forks in your pants pocket for later use.

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

Peeled, hard-boiled eggs are submerged in water inside a fixed, built-in compartment of a refrigerator. The clear container appears seamlessly integrated into the fridge’s molded interior. A wire shelf sits above, and the eggs are uniformly packed, creating a sterile, institutional feel typical of a chain hotel appliance.

793. Peeled, Hardboiled Eggs Stored Immersed in Water in the Fridge at a Chain Hotel

July 04, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating peeled, hardboiled eggs stored immersed in water in the fridge at a chain hotel.

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

A filthy sponge sits in a shallow pool of murky water on a glass turntable inside a heavily soiled microwave. The sponge is stained with dark grime, and the microwave's interior is covered in splatters and residue, creating an overall impression of neglect and uncleanliness.

792. Microwaving Your Kitchen Sponges

July 04, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from microwaving your kitchen sponges.

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

792. Microwaving Your Kitchen Sponges

July 02, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from microwaving your kitchen sponges.

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

A realistic rocking-horse mascot in a “ROCKERS” jersey sits on a stadium bench, eating popcorn. The costume features lifelike horse details and hoof-like hands. A sunny ballgame crowd fills the background, capturing a playful yet convincing scene of mascot fun during a baseball game.

790. Eating From a Bag of Popcorn After Hype the Mascot Has “Eaten” From It

June 27, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating from a bag of popcorn that a sports team mascot has touched with their costumed hand,

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