Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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A square photo shows a crusty spoon resting in a cocoa powder container. The spoon is stained with dried hot chocolate mix and milk. Nearby, a mug of hot chocolate sits on a textured surface, capturing a cozy, slightly messy moment in making the drink.

754. Reusing a Hot Chocolate Milk Spoon

April 04, 2025 by Don Schaffner

The image shows a used spoon crusted with dried hot chocolate mix and milk, sitting inside a container of cocoa powder. It looks messy and realistic, as if it was just used to stir chocolate milk and then carelessly returned to the container. A nearby glass of chocolate milk completes the scene.

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

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from reusing a hot chocolate milk spoon.

  • Eat or Toss? Is it OK to eat?
  • Time to B. cereus about hot chocolate - PMC
  • Estimation of human dose of staphylococcal enterotoxin A from a large outbreak of staphylococcal food poisoning involving chocolate milk - ScienceDirect
  • Understanding and Controlling Microbiological Contamination of Beverage Dispensers in University Foodservice Operations
  • Profiling Bacillus cereus populations in a traditional style, hot-drinks vending machine and vended hot chocolate drink using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques - ScienceDirect
April 04, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Milk, Chocolate, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus

DALL·E - An elderly person with gray hair, wearing glasses, sitting alone at a kitchen table. They are eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese.

678. Immunocompromised Person Eating Mac and Cheese Left at Room Temperature for Two Hours

October 09, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks faced by an immunocompromised person eating mac and cheese left at room temperature for two hours.

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

  • Ed Koch - Wikipedia
  • In Eric Adams Case, Prosecutors Warn of Additional Charges for Him and Defendants - The New York Times
  • Staphylococcus aureus Infection - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
  • Bacillus Cereus - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
  • time a spublic health control - Google Search
  • Cooling Uncovered Foods at a Depth of ∼5.1 cm (2 in.) or Less Poses Little Risk of Pathogen Growth - ScienceDirect
October 09, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Immunocompromised, Pasta, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus

501. Picking Your Nose

August 23, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of picking your nose with respect to COVID-19 and other risks

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

  • Why not to pick your nose: Association between nose picking and SARS-CoV-2 incidence, a cohort study in hospital health care workers | PLOS ONE
  • TWiV 1034: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin | This Week in Virology
  • Nose Picking and Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus | Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology | Cambridge Core
August 23, 2023 /Don Schaffner
COVID-19, Nose picking, Staphylococcus aureus

458. Pasta in the Woods in New Jersey

May 15, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating pasta found in the woods in New Jersey.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • A New Jersey Mystery: Who Dumped Hundreds of Pounds of Pasta, and Why? - The New York Times
  • New Jersey neighbors find source of mystery pasta piles - YouTube
  • Pine Barrens | VisitNJ.org
  • NJ’s Pasta-Gate Solved? - New Jersey Digest
  • Pine Barrens (The Sopranos) - Wikipedia)
  • Steve Buscemi - Wikipedia
  • Why Pine Barrens Is the Best Sopranos Episode
  • Fatal Family Outbreak of Bacillus cereus-Associated Food Poisoning - PMC
  • Sudden Death of a Young Adult Associated with Bacillus cereus Food Poisoning - PMC
May 15, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Pasta, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus

408. Found Fries

January 18, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating french fries found in a car long after they were fresh.

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

  • Growth of Bacillus cereus on Oil‐blanched Potato Strips for “Home‐style” French Fries - Doan - 1999 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • McDonald's burger and fries show no sign of rot after 6 years
  • Limpness of Fried Potato Slabs During Post‐Frying Period - Miranda - 2005 - Journal of Food Process Engineering - Wiley Online Library
  • Growth and Production of Enterotoxin A by Staphylococcus aureus on “Home‐style” French Fries - Doan - 1999 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Clazzio install - S2KI Honda S2000 Forums
January 18, 2023 /Don Schaffner
French fries, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Time temperature control for safety

379. Jeff's 12 Hour Delayed Start Short Ribs

November 11, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking short ribs after a 12 hour delay at room temperature.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Instant Pot Short Ribs (Pressure Cooker) | Tested by Amy + Jacky
  • ComBase
  • Evaluating Microbial Safety of Slow Partial-Cooking Processes for Bacon: Use of a Predictive Tool Based on Small-Scale Isothermal Meat Inoculation Studies | Journal of Food Protection
November 11, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Time temperature control for safety

342. Bedroom Pasta

August 17, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drying egg noodles in your bedroom.

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

  • Ellen Shumaker | Agricultural and Human Sciences
  • Ellen Thomas Shumaker, PhD | LinkedIn
  • 327. Chicken Soup Unrefrigerated for More Than 6 Hours — Risky or Not?
  • Washington Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia
  • Egg Noodles Recipe | Allrecipes
  • Temperature Dependent Growth Characteristics and a Predictive Mathematical Model of Bacillus Cereus in Wet Noodles - LEE - 2011 - Journal of Food Safety - Wiley Online Library
  • Making Homemade Noodles Safely • AnswerLine • Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
  • Microbiological Quality of Raw Dried Pasta from the German Market, with Special Emphasis on Cronobacter Species - PubMed
  • Critical conditions accelerating the deterioration of fresh noodles: A study on temperature, pH, water content, and water activity - Li - 2017 - Journal of Food Processing and Preservation - Wiley Online Library
August 17, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Noodles, Pasta, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus

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