Study: Fecal Bacteria Found On Most Supermarket Shopping Carts

cbs ^ | March 7, 2011 1:20 PM

[BenLurkin]

Next time you head down to your local supermarket, you may be taking your health into own hands — literally.

New research shows that nearly three out of four shopping cart handles are rife with fecal bacteria, including some that can cause severe illness.

Dr. Victoria Millett, a local infectious disease specialist, tells KFWB’s Maggie McKay researchers actually found more fecal bacteria on grocery cart handles than you would typically find in a bathroom.

Professor Charles Gerba, the lead researcher in the University of Arizona study, took samples from the handles of 85 carts across four states for bacterial contamination.

Gerba says 72 percent of the carts tested positive for fecal bacteria, with up to half the samples containing Escherichia coli, otherwise known as E. coli.

[comps4spice]

What makes everyone think the fecal germs on shopping carts come from customer’s hands? In many parts of the world “night soil” is considered “organic” (cause it doesn’t have chemical fertilizers).

Why do we think “organic” from Asia isn’t grown with night soil?

[Revolting cat!]

Tomorrow's headlines today:

Fickle Fecals Finally Found!

[MaxMax]

You're not the only one. I won't begin to put food up until I wash-up.

Also, I use the dollar store glass cleaner with Ammonia om my hands instead of
those expensive purell type sanitizers after handling any cash.

[GOPsterinMA]

You’d be silly not too. It’s a frigging cesspool out there.

[aruanan]

Gerba says 72 percent of the carts tested positive for fecal bacteria, with up to half the samples containing Escherichia coli, otherwise known as E. coli.

This is funny because E. coli is a rather minor component of human feces, though most people don't know that. I happen to know because I run DNA genotyping samples for a researcher in a lab that does work on inflammatory bowel disease and that has extensively characterized the human gut flora.

[Hawthorn]

>> there is no reason not to protect yourself from serious pathogens like E. Coli <<

In spite of my previous “pro-germ” comments, I gotta agree with you on the cited point.

Moreover, I’ll go you one better with a personal anecdote:

I used to get a lot of bad colds while traveling out of town on business. Then when I finally got a cell phone, meaning that I could call back to the home office every day without using a public phone, the colds miraculously stopped!

On the other “hand” (pun intended), I definitely won’t worry about the trivial amounts of fecal bacteria on handles of grocery carts. No hand sanitizers for me!

[radiohead]

Well, I mentioned this article to my son, Skywalk, who used to work at Target. He said they got dirty diapers on the shelves all the time. WTF?

People are disgusting!