Ice Ice Ba------ cteria. (Fecal matter too)

I can't prove it. But I think the ice scooper is the culprit. People in the office are sick. We all share a common ice scooper that:

1) Is oftentimes found lying inside atop the ice instead of firmly placed on the holder on the inside of the door.

2) Is dropped on the floor and then placed back in place on the holder on the door. (I saw this yesterday, hence the blog.)

A year or so ago I saw one of those in-depth, undercover investigations about ice. The reason for this investigation was the death of a young athlete (the reason for lots of health-related investigation- it seems anytime someone "with promise" is affected, people pay attention. nothing wrong with that, but still.....) which was traced back to bacteria in the ice.

In my own words, this is what happens:
1. People touch the scooper. Maybe they are sick or didn't wipe their ass or touched something or someone who had a bug.
2. The scooper holds this bacteria.
3. Then, when the scooper is dropped back on top of the ice.
4. The bacteria spreads around the cooler as some of the ice melts
5. Someone scoops it into their cup
6. They get sick
7. The touch the scooper... the cycle begins again

I am not OCD. You should see my house. But, in an office building or school or restaurant, people should have a little respect and put things back where they belong, and if a common item is dropped on the floor, take responsibility and rinse it off. Other people have to use it.

When people who work or learn together get sick, it's bound to get passed around in some way, shape or form. Bacteria is everywhere, we can't help it. But- I think people should think a little more and not be completely oblivious and inconsiderate.

Wow. I haven't done a rant in a while. Feels kinda good actually.

Hard Data:
Chicago Sun Writes About Restaurant Ice & Fecal Matter- Dec. 07- blog reference
Blog about a CNN Report of Ice & Fecal Matter

And what the heck- I did a little more digging in the CNN transcripts and found that thist study was from a week-long series they did called, "Enough to Make You Sick." You can follow this link to read the whole thing- you have to really dig deep into thise transcript- there are several news stories before the one on ice and bacteria. Here's a snippet:

Take Denton, Texas, 1999. Fifty-eight members of a high school drill team were infected with various levels of gastrointestinal illnesses at a camp. The ice got contaminated with E. coli after campers used their bare hands to scoop ice out of the machine. And recently, a British government study surveyed clubs, bars and pubs in London, and found half the ice they used was full of bugs and bacteria that can make people sick. (on camera): So that got us thinking, what would we find if we bought ice just like you would on any given day at any given restaurant across the country? (voice-over): We took our ice samples in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, at a combination of fast food chains and local establishments in each town, a total of 23 samples. In each location, we walked in and ordered our drinks with our ice on the side, and then carefully, without touching the ice, poured it into sterile bags, and then set the samples off to a certified food laboratory, Microbac Laboratories in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. (on camera): Now, our study didn't follow all EPA protocol. That would mean we would have had to have gone to each restaurant four or five times, tested the city water, and then made sure that our sample ice touched nothing before it went into our sample bags. But our results were tested against the most basic EPA standards, and what we found was disturbing. (voice-over): In every city but one, there was a restaurant that failed those EPA standards. This McDonalds in Atlanta failed. This Dunkin' Donuts in Chicago failed. This 7-Eleven in Dallas failed, and so did this Burger King in Los Angeles. On the day we tested, according to Microbac Laboratories, each ice sample from these four establishments was contaminated with fecal matter.

And, leave it to me to come up with something corny:

Adds a whole new meaning to POOPER SCOOPER!!