Have you ever went to a fast food spot and got a drink from
the soda fountain? Well, a study
published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology say’s that the soda
machine could actually be squirting out fecal matter. Sounds crazy and disgusting
right? Let’s get into the study.
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| http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/08/soda.fountain.bacteria/ |
There were two
studies done in Virginia to prove this point. The study looked at 30 soda
fountains including 70 beverages. A follow-up study concluded 27 drinks
including water. In the article, Amina Khan stated, researchers found that an
astonishing 48% of the drinks were harboring “coliform” bacteria “which means
they could contain fecal matter.” The beverages that were analyzed had more
than 11% E. Coli and over 17% of Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Chryseobacterium meningosepticum is a Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria; generally reported to cause outbreaks of
meningitis. Not only did they find these pathogenic microorganisms, but many
more! The article noted that these bacteria weren’t strong enough to cause real
danger on most people’s systems and that no one including the study authors
knew how they got there.
I definitely cannot argue with the facts! That is really
disturbing and a lot of shhhhhh… I generally have more questions about this
article than anything. Did the study use the stores cups? Was the soda the one
harboring the bacteria or was it the machine itself? The article says it was
the beverages but if you think about it, if the coke machine hasn’t been
cleaned, it could be possible for pathogenic microorganisms to grow in the
machine. I think this articles study could have had more detail on what was
actually being researched. I also think this study should have included
beverages from different cities, if not states. Although this study only included research
from Virginia, can it be knowledge of other soda machines in different areas? This article along
with many others I’ve read makes me think, “Is eating out even really a good
thing anymore.” Reading these blogs I’ve learned to watch out for cleaning
agents (hand sanitizers), lemons, and now, soda machines! What is next?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/01/soda-fountains-fecal-bacteria-contamination-study.html
Angelo, this is disturbing research, but you are right there are many questions that are unanswered in this study. The biggest one I have is, where did the fecal microbes come from and how did they get into the soda machines? It makes me wonder if the employees that were handling the soda machine were the ones to contaminate it. How does this restaurant not have a poor health evaluation? I know that microbes are everywhere and some are unavoidable, but E. coli and Chryseobacterium meningosepticum in soda drinks seems like it could be avoided. This research should be conducted thoroughly and more often because if we can find these microbes I am sure we can find a way to filter our sodas. This research is helpful because we become aware of what lives in our food and drinks. Exploring restaurants is usually a family affair but it should not be a health risk.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of drinking bacteria, that could possible contain fecal matter, is pretty gross. This research, though very important, should be taken to the next level. I think that they should test this at other cities, other areas of the country and see the results. I doubt these soda machines are cleaned out frequently, and so I wouldnt be surprised if there was bacteria harboring in it. Though it says that some of this bacteria doesn't really pose a threat to us, what if it were it the wrong hands? Kids and the elderly have typically weaker immune systems, so could they get more sick from this? Restaurants need to be clean and safe, and anything injested should definately not have a trace of fecal matter in it!
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