Posted on 11/28/2018 4:02:40 PM PST by Rebelbase
A report said that fecal matter was discovered on every McDonald’s self-service touchscreen swabbed during an investigation in the United Kingdom.
Samples were taken at six McDonald’s locations in London and two in Birmingham. The samples all revealed a contamination of coliforms, which are found in human fecal matter.
“We were all surprised how much gut and fecal bacteria there was on the touchscreen machines. These cause the kind of infections that people pick up in hospitals,” said London Metropolitan University Dr. Paul Matawele, according to The Metro.
“For instance Enterococcus faecalis is part of the flora of gastrointestinal tracts of healthy humans and other mammals. It is notorious in hospitals for causing hospital-acquired infections,” he stated.
Customers first choose their food on the screens before heading to the front to pick up their meals. Often times, they don’t wash their hands or wipe them down with hand sanitizer, the report suggested.
At one branch, a screen was found to have Staphylococcus, or staph. According to the U.S. Food Safety website, some strains can “cause food poisoning when a food handler contaminates food and then the food is not properly refrigerated. Other sources of food contamination include the equipment and surfaces on which food is prepared.”
Matawele told the paper: “Seeing Staphylococcus on these machines is worrying because it is so contagious. It starts around people’s noses, if they touch their nose with their fingers and then transfer it to the touchscreen someone else will get it, and if they have an open cut which it gets into, then it can be dangerous.”
He noted that there are fears about Staphylococcus becoming more resistant to antibiotics.
“However, it is still really dangerous in places like Africa where it can cause toxic shock,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
What about the people who ‘bag’ your groceries? I don’t see them washing their hands after each customer.
It’s worth a lot. Just change the towel you use frequently. /no sarc
I’m sure it’s on all the grocery store self check screens, and AMT screen as well.
Crap is everywhere...
On vending machines, and public touchscreens, I use my knuckle, not my fingertips.
Still not the best, but better...
You can’t make toilet paper out of sand!
Here is what I have experienced.
Those who are obsessed with hand sanitizers and the like should continue to be that way. Because they will get sick if they don’t.
Those who just maintain normal cleanliness/health and believe in their body’s ability to deal with infections will stay well.
I’m not saying that any particular person can never get sick, just because they think they won’t, but mental attitude is a very big factor in staying well.
You (and many other Freepers) will probably get a kick out of this: https://youtu.be/X29lF43mUlo Note: language warning and not safe for work.
Not at all surprising.
1/4 of people don’t wash their hands when they go to the restroom. If bulk soap is used in the restrooms, there is often fecal matter in the dispensers.
Well, if it’s on the touchscreen, then it’s probably on the counters, the condiments area, the doors and door handles, trays. Everywhere.
Occasionally the Microbiology Department of the hospital where I worked (a famous and highly respected one) visited our department and took swabs from various surfaces.The reports,which I never saw,were rumored to have been shocking.
>>Bet those screens are no safer in the US. Health departments should probably shut them down.<<
Those screens are only one of dozens of different machines that are operated by touching screens or buttons or styluses. And most paper money in circulation is covered with a sickening range of germs and other putrid shit. Shopping carts in grocery stores are the same. Government involvement in anything is usually a very mixed blessing, especially now with the poor quality of so many of its employees.
Not to mention my long legged dachshund Joey farts all the time
People of some religions don’t use toilet paper.
>>Everything I get from the grocery store is rinsed and wiped with a towel. For what little that may be worth.<<
Are you making sure the towel itself is not contaminated?
Special sauce ?
My guess the gas pump or ATM may not be that much better - time to carry those clorox wipes everywhere you use a touch screen.
You mean McDonalds serves “food?”
My first thought, using their unclean hand to order.
I’m not going to bother with the whole thread, but has no one spotted the obvious irony here?
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