A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

DALL·E image text: A cheerful British man with shoulder-length red-brown hair and a gap-toothed smile washes dishes in a cozy kitchen. He scrubs a soapy plate and places it into a white dish rack, with bubbles clinging to the dishes. Sunlight filters through a window, brightening the warm, homey space.

833. British Dishwashing Method

October 06, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using the British dishwashing method.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

832. Biting the Head Off a Bat or Dove

October 03, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from biting the head off a bat or a dove.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

DALL·E image text: A white drip coffee maker sits on a beige countertop. The glass carafe is filled with dark coffee, while the clear water reservoir shows a small patch of green algae confined to the bottom left corner. The design is simple, clean, and highlighted by soft, even lighting.

831. Drinking Coffee Made With Water From a Reservoir With a Bit of Algae

October 01, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking coffee made from a coffee maker that has algae growing in the transparent water reservoir.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image: A teenage hockey player in full gear holds up his skate and licks the icy blade. Wearing a black helmet, red jersey, and gloves, he leans in with his tongue touching the blade. The rink background is blurred, emphasizing his focused expression and the unusual act.

830. Eating Skate Ice

September 29, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating ice off of your hockey skates.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

829. Betty Crocker Frosting Stored Out of Refrigeration

September 26, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frosting that says "Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting up to 30 days" at room temperature after opening.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image text: Four cheerful club members gather around a table piled with dusty, vintage MRE packages. A wooden sign above them reads “Vintage MRE Club.” The group smiles with excitement, examining the old rations in a cozy, wood-paneled room that captures the nostalgic and quirky spirit of their unusual hobby.

828. Vintage US Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs)

September 24, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming "vintage" (i.e., old) MREs from around the world, but focusing in those from the US.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

827. Bloated Meat Packages

September 22, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of meat from puffy or bloated packages.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

A man at a baseball stadium concession stand holds a hamburger, frowning at a messy stack of cheese slices on a tray. Another person’s hand reaches in to grab a slice, emphasizing the communal, slightly unsanitary feel. The baseball field is visible in the background.

826. Ballpark Cheeseburger With Self-Serve Sticky Cheese

September 19, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Ballpark cheeseburger made with with self-serve sticky cheese handled by others.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Figure from Barbut et at., 1987 of hard cooked egg shelf life

825. Air Cooled Hard Boiled Eggs After a Week at Room Temperature

September 17, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating air cooled hard boiled eggs after a week at room temperature.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image text: A lifeless British admiral from 1800 lies preserved in a wooden barrel filled with brandy, camphor, and myrrh. His ornate naval uniform contrasts with his pale face as eerie fumes rise, creating a haunting, atmospheric scene of death, preservation, and solemn reverence aboard a dimly lit ship.

824. Drinking Horatio Nelson's Embalming Fluid Made With Brandy

September 15, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking drinking Horatio Nelson' embalming fluid made with brandy, with camphor and myrrh.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT image text: In a warehouse store, a smiling employee in a red apron offers food samples while a serious professor in a white lab coat studies the setup, arms crossed.

823. Costco Free Food Samples

September 12, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming Costco free food samples.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image text: A hotel bathroom shows a broken showerhead spilling rusty water into a white tub. Shattered metal pieces lie near the drain as orange-brown stains spread across the porcelain. Chrome fixtures and patterned tiles contrast sharply with the discolored water, emphasizing the scene’s unsettling mix of damage and contamination.

822. Don's Rusty Shower Event

September 10, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of standing in a hotel bathroom in Athens Greece after a shower head explodes.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

A blonde Canadian man sits in a bathtub, spitting out red wine after discovering a fly in his glass. He grips a video game controller in his other hand, looking shocked and disgusted. A Canadian flag hangs behind him, emphasizing his nationality amid the tiled bathroom backdrop.

821. Consuming a Fly in Wine, Twice

September 08, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Consuming a fly in wine, on two different occasions.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

A dented aluminum can with “BEER” crossed out by a bold red X and “LACF” beneath it seeps neon green slime from the seam near the closed pull top. The ooze dribbles down the side and pools below, creating a vivid, unsettling contrast against the plain background.

820. "Canning" an Unrefrigerated Low Acid Canned Food

September 05, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a beer canning line to package low acid canned food that will not be refrigerated.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

DALL·E image text: A cheerful Canadian-looking professor in a plaid flannel shirt and beanie gives a thumbs-up inside a refrigerator set at 37°F. In the foreground, a clear container holds golden garlic confit, contrasting with the cold, clean interior. His proud expression highlights satisfaction with his perfectly chilled fridge.

819. Storing Garlic Confit in Ben's Refrigerator for Two Weeks

September 03, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing garlic confit at 37 °C (in Ben's refrigerator) for two weeks.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT: A sad-looking man rests his face in his hands at a table, staring at eight identical glasses of water lined up in front of him. His furrowed brow and downturned mouth suggest reluctance and weariness, as though the task of drinking them all feels overwhelming.

818. Not Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day

September 01, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks if you don't drink 8 glasses of water a day.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image text: A Massachusetts beach scene features a bold yellow warning sign. The red header reads “WARNING,” followed by black text stating: “RARE Vibrio vulnificus BACTERIA.” The sign stands prominently in the foreground, while behind it stretch sandy shores, rolling waves, grassy dunes, and a partly cloudy blue sky, creating a stark contrast.

817. Going to the Beach With a Vibrio Alert

August 29, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of going to the beach with a Vibrio vulnificus alert.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image text: A person rinses fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries under a modern faucet using a metal strainer. In the background, a sleek electronic fruit-washing gadget sits cracked and broken, unused on the counter. The contrast highlights the simplicity of hand-washing berries compared to the failure of the fancy device.

816. Washing Produce With Just Plain Water

August 27, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of just washing produce in plain water vs. a fancy gizmo.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image text: A shrimp superhero stands ready for battle, muscular and armored with its shell, wearing a red cape and a glowing radioactive emblem. Green smoke rises from a cracked glowing sphere nearby, casting an eerie glow over the dark city skyline as the shrimp radiates determination and power.

815. Radioactive Shrimp

August 25, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating shrimp impacted by the recent recall.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

DALL·E image text: A packaged Teewurst sausage labeled “Cook to 165°F for regulatory purposes,” “Raw Pork,” and “Spread on a cracker and enjoy raw,” with a photo of the spread on a cracker. The sausage is vacuum-sealed in clear plastic with metal clips at each end.

814. Eating Dane's Raw Teewurst

August 22, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming teewurst that is made from raw meat which says that it must be cooked to 165°F.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️