THE 5 SECOND RULE

B Y : NA T A S H A Z

O B E L DE A

Y A L A

WHAT IS THIS ISSUE?o A common misconception is that when

people drop food, they think its still okay to eat it if its picked up within 5 seconds.

o This is false, as it depends on the bacteria that is on the floor, rather than the time you pick it up. If there is bacteria, it can attach to food no matter how fast you pick it up.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU?Bad for your health The bacteria on the ground can cause illnesses

such as diarrhea and gastro-intestinal disease. According to New York Times: “In a study

published in 2007 in The Journal of Applied Microbiology, Clemson University researchers tested salmonella placed on wood, tile or carpet, and dropped bologna on the surface's for 5, 30 or 60 seconds.”

If you don’t know what kind of bacteria is on the floor, don’t eat it. Because if you do, you may possibly be consuming a salmonella bacteria.

You can possibly get E.Coli as well.

TREATMENT

DONT EAT FOOD FROM THE FLOOR! IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT BACTERIA LIES THERE, THEN IT IS NOT SAFE TO EAT FROM IT

INTERESTING FACTS “foodborne illnesses can have varying onset,

ranging from 24 hours to a week. So, if the food you picked up and ate last Wednesday was responsible for sidelining you over the weekend, you probably wouldn't even associate the two events.”

"If the food is dry, and there's no stickiness to it, it's less likely that bacteria will stick to it but in most cases we're talking about a $20 steak or a piece of fish that's not dry," Romaine tells WebMD

BIBLIOGRAPHY"The 5-Second Rule." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about

Children's Health. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/health_basics/5_seconds.html>.

Size, Font. "The '5-Second Rule' Fact Or Fiction? - CBS News." � Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/04/health/webmd/main1774287.shtml>.

McGEE, Harold. "The Curious Cook - The Five-Second Rule Explored, or How Dirty Is That Bologna? - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 02 June 2011. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09curi.html>.