Interesting Facts

I get the American Baby magazine each month. There were 2 articles in the September issue that interested me - or actually made me nervous. The first article was about the top germiest places for your children. And surprisingly, the toilet seat was not one of the things on the list. The study was done by a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. Even though some of the things listed weren't surprising, a few were.

1. Playground equipment - "...20% of playground equipment was infested with [fecal bacteria]..."
2. Shopping carts - "...about 70% have fecal bacteria on them, ..."
3. High chairs - "Out of 30 restaurant high chairs, 17% were contaminated with E. Coli and 10% with methicillin-resistant staph."
4. Restaurant tables - "...of 10 restaurants, tabletops had 45 times more bacteria, including E. Coli, on them after they'd been wiped..."
5. Elevator buttons - "The first floor button is always the germiest because everybody has to touch it to get out."
6. Phones - "In homes...80% of phones were contaminated with the flu virus."

This makes me want to take sanitizing wipes everywhere I go. I think I'm going to start packing some in my purse or diaper bag to wipe down the table when we go out to eat. How many times have I picked up a crumb or chip off the table at El Mexicano and put it in my mouth? This turns my stomach.

The second article was about how to make ourselves and children healthier by eating organic foods. It explained how important it is to watch what we feed our children because their bodies take in more of the chemicals than adults. The information in this article came from Environmental Working Group.

"The Dirty Dozen" - Top 12 food items that contain the most pesticides:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes - "...81% of potatoes still contained pesticides after being washed and peeled."

Another interesting thing the article talked about was peanut butter. It mentioned that the pesticides in the peanut crop could possibly be linked to the high number of people allergic to peanuts and peanut butter these days.

Just something to ponder.