Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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DALL·E image text: A young restaurant worker in a black shirt and beige apron pulls on a white glove while a stern manager in a black suit watches disapprovingly with arms crossed. The warm, rustic restaurant setting contrasts with the tension between them, hinting that the worker skipped proper handwashing before gloving up.

768. Putting on Gloves Without Washing Your Hands

May 07, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of putting on gloves without first washing your hands as required by the FDA model food code.

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

  • Handwashing Facts | Clean Hands | CDC
  • Glove Barriers to Bacterial Cross-Contamination between Hands to Food - ScienceDirect
  • Microbiological safety assurance system for foodservice facilities.
  • FDA Food Code | FDA
  • Food Code 2022 | FDA
  • Scientific Evidence Supports the Use of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers as an Effective Alternative to Hand Washing in Retail Food and Food Service Settings When Heavy Soiling Is Not Present on Hands - ScienceDirect
  • 2025 Biennial Meeting | Biennial Meetings | Conference for Food Protection
May 07, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Glove use, Cross-contamination

A person is drying their hands with a slightly dirty, wrinkled hand towel in a home bathroom. The towel shows visible signs of frequent use, with light stains and a worn texture. The background features a bathroom sink and mirror, emphasizing an everyday, lived-in atmosphere.

737. Using a Bath Towel (Laundered Weekly) to Dry Hands After Using the Bathroom and Before Preparing Food

February 24, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using weekly laundered bath towel to dry hands after using the bathroom and before preparing food.

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

  • Why you probably aren't washing your towels often enough
  • Bacterial Occurrence in Kitchen Hand Towels
  • A Study of Bacterial Contaminants of Cloth and Paper Towels
  • Quantifying the Effect of Hand Wash Duration, Soap Use, Ground Beef Debris, and Drying Methods on the Removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on Hands - ScienceDirect
February 24, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Cross-contamination, Cloth towel

DALL·E - A person leaving a bathroom with a big sign over the door flashing with red lights. The sign says 'Did Not Wash Hands.' The scene is slightly humorous.

647. Not Washing Hands After Pooping

July 29, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from not washing hands after pooping.

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

  • Merch — Risky or Not?
  • Poop in My Fingernails - YouTube
  • O. Pete Snyder, food safety rock star | barfblog
  • IAFP 2024 program book
  • Wirecutter: New Product Reviews, Deals, and Buying Advice
  • After I defecate and attempt to wipe, there's never anything on the toilet paper. This has been going on for weeks now. Is this normal? - Quora
  • Scientific Evidence Supports the Use of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers as an Effective Alternative to Hand Washing in Retail Food and Food Service Settings When Heavy Soiling Is Not Present on Hands - ScienceDirect
  • Quit Touching My Toilet Paper - robofrakkin: God damnit, Merlin! They got me...
  • Can poo germs sneak through toilet paper? - Quora
July 29, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Cross-contamination, Poop

DALL·E - A person washing a very dirty mop in a public bathroom sink. The bathroom is slightly run-down, with tiled walls and a large mirror above the sink.

640. Using a Sink That's Been Used to Wash a Stadium Mop

July 12, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of washing your hands in a sink used for washing a stadium mop.

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

  • Vomiting as a Symptom and Transmission Risk in Norovirus Illness: Evidence from Human Challenge Studies | PLOS ONE
  • The handwash station: friend or fiend? - ScienceDirect
  • Handwashing sinks as the source of transmission of ST16 carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, an international high-risk clone, in an intensive care unit - ScienceDirect
  • SN 58 - Availability of and Access to Toilets and Hand Washing Facilities | NC DOL
  • Act to Allow Food Stands to Provide Tables and Chairs for Customers to use while Consuming Drinks or Food upon the Premises.
  • Merch — Risky or Not?
  • Prevalence of Human Noroviruses in Commercial Food Establishment Bathrooms - ScienceDirect
  • Presence of human noroviruses on bathroom surfaces: a review of the literature - PubMed
July 12, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Mop, Bathroom, Norovirus, Handwashing, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - Create an image of a white hand towel hanging on a sleek metal towel rack, with exactly three dirty handprints visible on its surface.

580. Not Washing Hand Towels After 3 Uses

February 23, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of not washing hand towels after 3 uses.

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

  • How Often Should You Wash Your Bath Towel? | Houston Methodist On Health
  • A Study of Bacterial Contaminants of Cloth and Paper Towels
  • Are You Washing Your Bathroom Hand Towels Enough?
  • Bacterial Occurrence in Kitchen Hand Towels
  • The microbiological quality of washing-up water and the environment in domestic and commercial kitchens - PubMed.)
  • Residual moisture determines the level of touch-contact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing. - PMC
  • Quantifying the Effect of Hand Wash Duration, Soap Use, Ground Beef Debris, and Drying Methods on the Removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on Hands - ScienceDirect
February 23, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Towels, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - someone washing mud off their hands in the kitchen (DALL·E would not let me say “poop”)

533. Using the Kitchen Sink to Wash Your Bathroom Hands

November 06, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using the kitchen sink to wash your hands after pooping in the bathroom.

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

  • Observational Study of the Impact of a Food Safety Intervention on Consumer Poultry Washing - PubMed
  • Reduction of faecal coliform, coliform and heterotrophic plate count bacteria in the household kitchen and bathroom by disinfection with hypochlorite cleaners | Journal of Applied Microbiology | Oxford Academic
November 06, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Cross-contamination, Pooping

DALL·E - a dirty hand in a clear vinyl glove

494. Gloves Without Handwashing

August 07, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from wearing gloves without washing your hands first.

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

  • Glove Barriers to Bacterial Cross-Contamination between Hands to Food - ScienceDirect
  • Evaluation of glove type on survival and transfer of Escherichia coli in model systems and during hand harvesting of lettuce - Zhao - 2021 - JSFA reports - Wiley Online Library
  • Scientific Evidence Supports the Use of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers as an Effective Alternative to Hand Washing in Retail Food and Food Service Settings When Heavy Soiling Is Not Present on Hands - ScienceDirect
  • FDA Food Code | FDA
  • Hand Washing & Glove Use for Food Workers - Questions and Answers
  • Money and transmission of bacteria | Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control | Full Text
  • Merlin Mann coined, or at least heavily uses the phrase "turns out journalism" w... | Hacker News
August 07, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Gloves, Handwashing
Wet hands in the style of Norman Rockwell

Wet hands in the style of Norman Rockwell

409. Not Fully Drying Your Hands

January 20, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of not fully drying your hands after washing them.

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

  • Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • Microbiological evaluation of different hand drying methods for removing bacteria from washed hands - PMC
  • Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel | TED Talk
January 20, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Cross-contamination

403. Taking an Infant and Toddler to a Goat Feeding Farm

January 05, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of taking an infant and a toddler to a goat feeding farm.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Catherine G. | LinkedIn
  • Spring Haven Farm
  • Sarah Kirby, PhD | Agricultural and Human Sciences
  • Benjamin Chapman, PhD | Agricultural and Human Sciences
January 05, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Petting zoo, Goats, Cross-contamination, Handwashing
131.png

131. Not Following the FDA Model Food Code Handwashing Directions

April 12, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks that might arise from not following the FDA Model Food Code handwashing directions

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

  • Scientific Evidence Supports the Use of Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers as an Effective Alternative to Handwashing in Retail Food and Foodservice Settings When Heavy Soiling is Not Present on Hands | Journal of Food Protection
  • Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizers vs. Handwashing: What Should Food Handlers Do? | News
  • “Churchill” on Prepositions | Common Errors in English Usage and More | Washington State University
  • Assessment of Food Safety Practices of Food Service Food Handlers (Risk Assessment Data): Testing a Communication Intervention (Evaluation of Tools) | Journal of Food Protection
  • Health Department Inspection Criteria More Likely To Be Associated with Outbreak Restaurants in Minnesota | Journal of Food Protection
  • The Bathroom Boys | Do By Friday
April 12, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, FDA Model Food Code
C69vD.jpg

11: Hot Air Hand Driers

February 26, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben discuss the risks posed by hot air hand driers.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • The Hygienic Efficacy of Different Hand-Drying Methods: A Review of the Evidence
  • Deposition of Bacteria and Bacterial Spores by Bathroom Hot-Air Hand Dryers | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • Quantifying the effect of hand wash duration, soap use, ground beef debris, and drying methods on the removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on hands. - PubMed - NCBI
February 26, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Hot air hand dryer
cotton towel disp.png

10: Cotton Towel Dispensers

February 24, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben discuss the risks posed by reusable cotton towel dispensers.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️

Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Self strangulation by hanging from cloth towel dispensers in Canadian schools. - PubMed - NCBI
  • A study of bacterial contaminants of cloth and paper towels.
  • New Research Proves Cloth Roll Towel Systems (CRT) More Hygienic than Air Dryers | Daniel Berkhoudt, Architect
  • How to use one paper towel | Joe Smith | TEDxConcordiaUPortland - YouTube
February 24, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Public restrooms, Hand towels

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