what experts say
As parents of infants, you've always known how critical it is to protect your little one from bacteria and viruses. Although it's been said "What won't kill them will make them stronger", intentionally exposing your children to germs is not something a parent would want to do. Although getting sick is an unavoidable fact of life, there are steps we can take to help keep baby well. Best practices like washing hands thoroughly and limiting contact to high trafficked surfaces, such shopping cart handles, can reduce the exposure to germs that can make baby ill.
Ever wonder how dirty shopping carts really get? We've compiled some references that show just how serious the germ problem is with shopping carts.
"Shopping cart handles are often coated with germs from hands of hundreds of people who may have coughed/sneezed into their hands. Curious babies are often exploring the handles while you shop, mostly with their mouths! A shopping cart cover like the Just Peachy Baby Seat Cover is a great idea to keep your baby from picking up frequent infections."
~ Dr. Anita Juvvadi, M.D., General Pediatrician.
" All parents, even those of us who are Pediatricians, hate to see their children get sick. I found that one great way to protect your child against common germs when out doing errand or at restaurants is to use a shopping cart/high chair cover. This is by far one of my favorite child related products and we don't ever leave our house without it. Not only does it protect against bacteria and viruses but it also provides a more comfortable ride!"
~ Dr. Rebecca Fazilat, Pediatrician.
Experts & Law Makers Agree Shopping Carts Handles Are Covered with Harmful Germs
The Germiest Places in America
Dr. Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona and a panel of other experts identify the dirty dozen. “It’s enough to make even the least germophobic person a little worried." Shopping carts ranked #5 on the Top 12 list of Germiest Places. "Bacteria. Fecal matter. Those are just a few of the choice substances Gerba found on shopping cart handles. Carts rank high on the yuck scale because they’re handled by dozens of people every day and you’re “putting your broccoli where some kid’s butt was,” says the professor of environmental microbiology. And, of course, raw food carries nasty pathogens." www.health.com
Soap Up! The 12 Germiest Places In Your Life
The Today Show covered a feature story on the 12 Germiest Places in Your Life, one of which is the shopping cart. You can watch a video clip of the Today show located on the right of the page.
www.msnbc.msn.com
Not an Urban Legend. More Germs on Grocery Carts than Public Bathrooms
"According to this four-year study by the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Lab, grocery carts are veritable Petri dishes teeming with human saliva, mucus, urine, fecal matter, as well as the blood and juices from raw meat. Swabs taken from the handles and child seats of 36 grocery carts in San Francisco, Chicago, Tucson, and Tampa showed these common surface to rank third on the list of nastiest public items to touch… the carts are far worse than public bathrooms, which are at least cleaned more often. E. coli, staphylococcus, salmonella, and influenza can live on grocery carts."
www.snopes.com
2/8/2007 ABC News Story on Dirty Shopping Carts
"How germy could shopping carts really be? … They found that shopping carts were loaded with more saliva, bacteria and even fecal matter than escalators, public telephones and even public bathrooms"
abcnews.com
2/2007 Arkansas Pushes its Clean Grocery Cart Bill To Sign Into Law
Arkansas is serious about protecting their citizens from germs, viruses, and bacteria. Rep. Fred Allen , D-Ark., authored the state's "Health Conscious Shopper Act" (HB10540), which encourages businesses to voluntarily provide consumers with sanitation wipes to use on grocery carts. The bill has already passed both houses of legislation and is waiting to be signed into law.
www.arkleg.state.ar.us
2/7/2007 New York Times Article "Cleaner Shopping Carts are Bill's Goal"
"According to the text of the legislation, it is intended to "increase awareness of Arkansas shoppers, infants and young children about potential contamination from contact with a shopping cart handle."
www.nytimes.com
4/29/2004 Dangerous Bacteria Count On Contaminated Shopping Carts
" ... samples were carefully collected and sealed in bags, then analyzed by OK Labs scientist Dr. Walter Seideman. According to Seideman, some of the total bacteria counts were 1,000 times what humans would encounter in a normal day.
At the Belle Isle Wal-Mart in Oklahoma City, two carts were put to the test. The handles and the seats on the carts were swabbed, each of which contained about 15 million bacteria. Seideman told Eyewitness News 5 just how dangerous those counts are for consumers. He said he would never eat a piece of bread with a bacteria count of more than 1,000. The numbers were higher at the Target store located at 50th Street and May Avenue."
www.channeloklahoma.com
11/04/2003 Shopping Cart Investigation Reveals Carts Can Be Covered with Harmful Bacteria
"An Inside Edition investigation found disturbing evidence that supermarket shopping carts can expose shoppers - including small children who often ride in the carts - to harmful bacteria. In a typical day, a supermarket cart can be exposed to the drippings from chicken and meat, and even young children still in diapers...
Inside Edition... tested carts with young children in them, swabbing and focusing on the areas most likely touched, like the handles and areas around the seats.
Inside Edition's lab found several types of bacteria and fungus that could cause disease, especially in people with fragile immune systems like children. The most serious bacteria found was enteroccocus facaelis - indicating the presence of fecal matter."
www.insideedition.com
11/07/2002 Filthy Carts Recovered From Homeless Return to Grocery Stores
"Shopping carts carry food and sometimes children, but often times bacteria. Last year, we showed how many carts come from homeless encampments or are recovered from the streets filled with trash and human waste.
The filthy carts then go right back to the grocery store racks and into customer hands. KRON 4 also did lab tests of random carts retrieved by the Department of Public Works.
Half of the carts tested positive for fecal coliform, the bacteria derived from human excrement, fecal strep, e-coli and urine."
www.kron4.com
2/2000 Food Science Specialist: What You Bring Home From Work May Hurt You
" … researchers found that one in four surfaces tested positive for filth, based on the presence of certain proteins that indicate poor hygiene. One in five surfaces tested positive for at least one bodily fluid. Not surprisingly, the most contaminated environments were children's playgrounds and daycare centers.
Topping the list of worst offenders, however, were a few surprises, including public buses, shopping carts, arm chair rests, vending machine knobs, escalator handrails and public phones."
www.foodsafety.wisc.edu
