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Tag Archives: E. coli

When’s the last time you washed your pet’s food bowl?

01 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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bacteria, cats, ceramic pet food bowl, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, dogs, E. coli, germs, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, mold, pet food bowl, plastic pet food bowls, salmonella, stainless steel food bowl, yeast

pet-food-bowls-wp

Well, you may want to stick it in the dishwasher, because it’s one of the germiest things in your house! The product testing organization NSF International found most pet bowls contain things like yeast, mold, and bacteria like E.coli.

Most of us pet owners don’t think the bowls are a problem. But in a recent study, out of 30 items swabbed and tested from people’s homes, pet bowls ranked near the top of the list!

But things like salmonella and E.coli can fester in your pet’s bowl – making your pet very sick. And even if you accidentally touch the bowl or pick it up, it can make YOU horribly sick, too. The researchers say pet bowls should be washed daily. And if you feed your pet raw food, it should be washed after every meal. Also, the experts say get rid of any plastic bowls altogether. Because germs are more likely to hide and multiply in the cracks of plastic bowls – more so than in ceramic or stainless steel pet-food bowls.

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Don’t get sick from your next flight!

19 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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antibacterial wipes, Auburn University, bacteria, carry-on bag, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, E. coli, flight, flying, germs, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, MRSA, plane, sick

MRSA-plane=wp

Here are a couple important numbers to remember the next time you fly, according to a new study from Auburn University:

First, the number 7. That’s how many days the superbug MRSA can survive in an airplane seat pocket. In other words: Think twice about using that pocket to store snacks and drinks.

Also, remember the number 3. That’s how many days bacteria like e.Coli can survive on tray tables.

The lesson? It’s time to start adding some antibacterial wipes to your carry-on bag.

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On your next flight…

07 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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airplane, airplane germs, antibiotic, bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, E. coli, flight, flying, germs, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, kidney failure, MRSA

airplane-tray-table-wp

…you may want to leave that tray table in the upright and locked position. That’s because disease-causing germs like MRSA and E. coli can linger on airplane armrests, window shades, tray tables, and toilet handles for days, according to scientists from Auburn University. Plus, contact with those pathogens could lead to antibiotic resistant infections and a gut bug that can cause kidney failure. And that’s not an exaggeration… the MRSA found on a cloth seatback pocket lasted 168 hours — which is a week… and the E. coli on an airplane armrest hung around for 4 days. So wash your hands frequently when you’re flying, and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth until you do.

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Before you wash the dishes, know this!

27 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, dishes, E. coli, food poisoning, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lukewarm, microorganisms, Ohio State, Ohio State University, washing dishes

washing-dishes-75degrees-wp

When you’re washing dishes, make sure the water temperature is at least lukewarm. If not, you risk leaving behind microorganisms that’ll make you sick. That’s according to food scientists from Ohio State University. They say, water that’s at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit will reduce bacteria to safe levels. Because if you leave behind food remnants, bacteria, like E.coli, can grow – and your family will blame your cooking for giving them food poisoning – instead of blaming whomever was on clean-up duty.

What’s the best way to dry your hands in a public restroom?

12 Thursday May 2016

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bacteria, bathroom, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, E. coli, germs, hand dryer, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, jet-air hand dryer, Journal of Hospital Infection, norovirus, public bathroom, public restroom, restroom, toilet, toilet seat protector, wash

handdryer_large-wp

The jet-air hand dryers in public bathrooms spread nearly 5 times more germs into the air than traditional air hand-dryers – and 27 times more than paper towels! That’s according to the Journal of Hospital Infection. And since 95% of people don’t wash up sufficiently after using the bathroom, those turbo-charged dryers are spraying things like E. coli and norovirus all over the place. So what can you do if it’s the jet-powered hand dryer or nothing? Grab a seat protector on your way out of the stall and dry your hands on that.

Wash your hands!

14 Thursday Apr 2016

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$20, cash, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, contaminated, contamination, credit card, E. coli, germs, hand sanitizer, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, London School of Hygiene, sick, staph, strep, Tropical Medicine, wash your hands

washing-hands-wp

Every time you touch cash or a credit card, you should wash your hands or pull out the hand sanitizer. That’s the recommendation of researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The scientists found that more than 1-in-4 credit cards and $20 bills were contaminated with high levels of staph, strep, E. coli, and bathroom germs – levels high enough to make you really sick.

Cooking with copper…

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

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bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cook, cooking, copper, copper pots, decoration, E. coli, food poisoning, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, oxidation, salmonella

cook-with-copper-pots-wp

You know those copper pots hanging above the island in your kitchen? Stop using them for decoration – and cook with them – to reduce food poisoning. New research from the University of Arizona found that when copper is heated, the oxidation process kills food poisoning bacteria – like E. coli and salmonella.

How clean is your home?

24 Monday Aug 2015

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bed, bed bugs, bedroom, biofilm, change your bedding, clean home, clean house, clean your shower, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, dirty fridge, disinfect, disinfectant, Dr. Philip Tierno, dust mites, E. coli, fridge, germs, hygiene, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, refridgerator, salmonella, shower, tub

clean-tub-shower-wp

That’s what our friend, germ specialist Dr. Philip Tierno wanted to know! He recently surveyed the hygiene habits of more than 20,000 people across North America. Here’s what he learned:

  • Let’s start with: Your bed. Dr. Tierno recommends changing your pillowcases and sheets every week, to guard against the build up of dust mites, and lower your risk for bed bugs.

But this survey found that at least one-in-four people wait a month or more to change their bedding.

  • Next: Your shower. Dr. Tierno says bathtubs and shower stalls need to be scrubbed and disinfected weekly, to remove the build-up of “biofilm.” That’s the thin layer of dirt, sweat and grime that you leave behind every time you step out of the shower. But this survey shows that about half of all people wait anywhere from a month to six months to scrub the tub.
  • Finally, how hygienic is your fridge? Dr. Tierno says refrigerators should be cleaned at least once per month to limit your exposure to sickness causing E-coli and salmonella. But a whopping 40% of people surveyed say they wait anywhere from three months to a year before cleaning their fridge.

Have you “gone green” – using a re-useable bag when you do your grocery shopping?

14 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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Charles Gerba, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, E. coli, environment, food shopping, fruits, germs, go green, green, groceries, grocery shopping, hot water, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, meat, re-usable bags, re-use, recycle, shopping, vegetables, veggies

shopping-bags-wp

Those reusable grocery bags may be good for the environment but not so much for your health.

Reusable shopping bags may be covered with germs. Our friend, microbiologist Charles Gerba, says reusable grocery bags can be contaminated with e coli because few people wash them out after carrying home their fruits and veggies and meat.

So make sure you wash yours in hot water and dry it thoroughly before reusing it.

If you plan on hitting the beach, beware of the sand! 

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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bacteria, bathroom, beach, beach sand, children, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, contamination, diarrhea, E. coli, E. coli bacteria, feces, fresh water, germs, hand sanitizer, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, kids, sand, sewer runoff, soap and water, University of North Carolina

dig-sand-beach-wp

Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that digging in the sand raises the risk of diarrhea by 27%. For kids under age 11, that number jumps to 44%.

Other studies have found high levels of E. coli bacteria in the top 8 inches of sand. In fact, levels can be almost 40 times those found in the water at the same beaches.

The contamination may come from storm sewer runoff, or from the feces left by birds or other animals. And once the germs are there, the sand provides a moist environment for the bacteria to rapidly reproduce.

To stay safe, use hand sanitizer after playing in the sand or water, until you can get to a bathroom to wash your hands with soap and fresh water.

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