The 5 Second Rule
I am one of the guilty ones. In my younger adult life, I
once dropped an M&M on the floor of a public building and scooped it up and
popped it into my mouth all in one fell swoop. My co-workers were aghast.
Today, it’s different. I throw out my socks at the end of the
airport security line, and I burn any personal items that may have made their
way into anyone’s hospital room – pillows, slippers, even toothbrushes.
Actually, I don’t bring anything home from a hospital anymore. I just leave it
there. Call me a germ-a-phobe. When my son returned from China in 2014, I even
threw out his shoes before he got out of my car.
However, a recent study released by researchers at Rutgers
University now calls the 5-Second Rule a myth, and probably supports my
paranoia – the rule that says if something is dropped on the floor and picked
up immediately, there is little to no threat of contamination. This is one of those notions that developed
over time out of practicality. But in today’s environment, it’s just no longer
wise.
The article
states: After putting the five-second rule to the test, researchers at Rutgers
University in New Brunswick, N.J., found contamination with bacteria can occur
in less than one second. "The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification
of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food,"
said study lead researcher Donald Schaffner, a professor and extension
specialist in food science. "Bacteria can contaminate
instantaneously."
So, I sent a son off to college this fall with hand
sanitizer, vitamins, and extra pillow cases. I reminded him how important hand
washing is in preventing illness. I even suggested he spray down the dormitory
mattress with anti-bacterial cleaning products prior to making his bed. Think
I’m crazy? Maybe I am.
But I do know this … there are a few simple things we can do
to promote wellness and protect our own health. And now we know that the 5
Second Rule no longer applies. When you drop it, leave it, or sweep it up and
throw it away.
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