Fast Food Ice Dirtier Than Toilet Water!

[Guest guest]

Fast Food Ice Dirtier Than Toilet Water!

Out of the mouths of babes comes this news. Budding

scientist, 12-year-old Jasmine from Benito

Middle School in Tampa, Fla., has created a science

fair project that has lots of grown-ups sitting up and

taking notice. Her conclusion: Ice at fast food

restaurants is laced with bacteria. Lots of it.

Tampa Bay Online reports that examined the

amount of bacteria in the ice served at fast food

restaurants and the amount of bacteria in the toilet

bowl water in those same restaurants. The toilet bowl

water was cleaner 70 percent of the time.

Even found the results to be startling. She

told Tampa Bay Online reporter Michele Sager, " I

thought there might be a little bacteria in the ice,

but I never expected it to be this much. And I never

thought the toilet water would be cleaner. "

The study: collected ice samples from five

fast food restaurants near the University of South

Florida, including self-service dispensers inside the

restaurants and in drinks served through the

drive-through windows. Then she collected samples of

water from the toilets in those same restaurants. All

the samples were placed in sterile containers. She

tested them in a lab at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer

Center, where she volunteers with a University of

South Florida professor.

The results: In four of the five restaurants, the ice

that came from the self-service machines had more

bacteria than the toilet water, reports Tampa Bay

Online. Three of the five cups of ice from the

drive-through windows had more bacteria than the

toilet water. The bacteria in the ice included fecal

coliform or E. coli, which can only come from the

feces of warm-blooded animals.

How did the bacteria get into the ice?

suspects either the machine was not properly cleaned

or an employee with soiled hands touched the ice.

Geoff Luebkemann, the Florida state official whose

agency is responsible for regulating hotels and

restaurants, told Tampa Bay Online, " Ice machines are

part of the health inspections. There are a lot of

factors that have to be considered, like how

accurately did she gather and test her specimens.

Plus, comparing the ice to toilet water can be

misleading because there are acceptable levels of

bacteria for water. "

Not so says Galina Tuninskaya, vice president of

Applied Consumer Services, a private lab that tests

drinking water. " No levels of fecal coliform or E.

coli are acceptable, " she told Tampa Bay Online. " If

you find that, you've got a problem. "

In case you wondered, won the science fair.

[Guest guest]

Now that makes me sick!

Kathy

>

> Fast Food Ice Dirtier Than Toilet Water!

>

> Out of the mouths of babes comes this news. Budding

> scientist, 12-year-old Jasmine from Benito

> Middle School in Tampa, Fla., has created a science

> fair project that has lots of grown-ups sitting up and

> taking notice. Her conclusion: Ice at fast food

> restaurants is laced with bacteria. Lots of it.

>

> Tampa Bay Online reports that examined the

> amount of bacteria in the ice served at fast food

> restaurants and the amount of bacteria in the toilet

> bowl water in those same restaurants. The toilet bowl

> water was cleaner 70 percent of the time.

>

> Even found the results to be startling. She

> told Tampa Bay Online reporter Michele Sager, " I

> thought there might be a little bacteria in the ice,

> but I never expected it to be this much. And I never

> thought the toilet water would be cleaner. "

>

> The study: collected ice samples from five

> fast food restaurants near the University of South

> Florida, including self-service dispensers inside the

> restaurants and in drinks served through the

> drive-through windows. Then she collected samples of

> water from the toilets in those same restaurants. All

> the samples were placed in sterile containers. She

> tested them in a lab at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer

> Center, where she volunteers with a University of

> South Florida professor.

>

> The results: In four of the five restaurants, the ice

> that came from the self-service machines had more

> bacteria than the toilet water, reports Tampa Bay

> Online. Three of the five cups of ice from the

> drive-through windows had more bacteria than the

> toilet water. The bacteria in the ice included fecal

> coliform or E. coli, which can only come from the

> feces of warm-blooded animals.

>

> How did the bacteria get into the ice?

> suspects either the machine was not properly cleaned

> or an employee with soiled hands touched the ice.

>

> Geoff Luebkemann, the Florida state official whose

> agency is responsible for regulating hotels and

> restaurants, told Tampa Bay Online, " Ice machines are

> part of the health inspections. There are a lot of

> factors that have to be considered, like how

> accurately did she gather and test her specimens.

> Plus, comparing the ice to toilet water can be

> misleading because there are acceptable levels of

> bacteria for water. "

>

> Not so says Galina Tuninskaya, vice president of

> Applied Consumer Services, a private lab that tests

> drinking water. " No levels of fecal coliform or E.

> coli are acceptable, " she told Tampa Bay Online. " If

> you find that, you've got a problem. "

>

> In case you wondered, won the science fair.

>