A slice of lemon or a wedge of lime goes great in many drinks, but did you know that your delicious citrus garnish can also harbor lots of nasty bacteria?
Not even ice is safe! Ice can get infected with all kinds of microorganisms before it becomes frozen. One nasty example goes back to 1987, when 5,000 people across 4 states got norovirus from contaminated ice served at a football game in Philadelphia.
In 1991 contaminated ice also caused a cholera epidemic in Latin America that affected 8,000 people and killed 17.
A new study shows that when lemons were wet, E. coli transferred from hands to the lemons 100% of the time. When the lemons were dry, the E. coli transferred 30% of the time.
In the Paterson, NJ area, 69% of lemon slices used in drinks from 21 restaurants carried bacteria or fungi associated with human contamination.
And you know those lemons you see sitting in containers on counter tops in restaurants? Those are full of E. coli!
We don't mean to scare you, but you should just be aware of all of the feces that surrounds you. It's everywhere!