Post by Admin on May 19, 2019 13:31:33 GMT -7
"Boomerang Bags" Could Cause Illness and Death
Infants and Elderly are most vulnerable
Infants and Elderly are most vulnerable
"Boomerang Bags" are getting popular in Park County. The bags are constructed from donated or thrift store cloth and touted as an alternative to plastic. They are available in several food stores and other businesses in Park County. Boomerang bags hang on racks and the public is asked to consider using them instead of plastic. The bag is loaned free of charge and customers are asked to return the bag on their next visit.
A boomerang is widely known as a weapon used by Indigenous Australians for hunting. When thrown properly it can stun or kill small prey and then returns to the hunter.
Recently Boomerang Bags were featured in a Livingston Enterprise article. Glastonbury landowner and GLA Board member Jerry Ladewig was pictured showing volunteers how to sew Boomerang Bags. You may read the article here.
In 2013 Dr. Ryan Sinclair of Loma Linda University conducted a reusable shopping bag study and discovered that:
In 2013 Dr. Ryan Sinclair of Loma Linda University conducted a reusable shopping bag study and discovered that:
Reuse of bags creates an opportunity for cross contamination of foods. The purpose of his study was to assess the potential for cross contamination of food products from reusable bags used to carry groceries. Reusable bags were collected at random from consumers as they entered grocery stores in California and Arizona. In interviews it was found that reusable bags are seldom if ever washed and often used for multiple purposes. Large numbers of bacteria were found in almost all bags and coliform bacteria in half. Escherichia coli (E. Coli) were identified in 12% of the bags and a wide range of enteric bacteria, including several opportunistic pathogens. When meat juices were added to bags and stored in the trunks of cars for two hours the number of bacteria increased 10-fold indicating the potential for bacterial growth in the bags. Hand or machine washing was found to reduce the bacteria in bags by >99.9%. These results indicate that reusable bags can play a significant role in the cross contamination of foods if not properly washed on a regular basis. It is recommended that the public needs to be educated about the proper care of reusable bags by printed instructions on the bags or through public service announcements.
MSN reports "Taking reusable bags to the grocery store may be eco-friendly, but experts are saying they can spread deadly bacteria if they’re used to carry raw fish and meat. The Guardian reports that the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) is recommending that shoppers use separate bags to carry raw foods and ready-to-eat or non-food items in order to avoid cross-contamination from bacteria.
“Raw foods (raw meat, raw fish and shellfish, loose vegetables with soil on, and eggs) can contain germs or have germs on their surface that causes food poisoning,” the FSA’s website says. “Even wrapped raw foods such as pre-packed fresh chicken, fish, etc. may have traces of harmful bugs on the outside of the packaging.”
The FSA claims it’s possible for fatal bacteria — such as E. coli and campylobacter — to transfer from the outside of food packaging to the reusable bag, and then transfer back to future store-bought products, even when there’s no trace of leakage. If there are any obvious signs of spillage, plastic bags should be replaced and cotton bags should be machine washed. The FSA suggests that shoppers label or color-code reusable bags to help keep raw meats and fish away from other products."
“Raw foods (raw meat, raw fish and shellfish, loose vegetables with soil on, and eggs) can contain germs or have germs on their surface that causes food poisoning,” the FSA’s website says. “Even wrapped raw foods such as pre-packed fresh chicken, fish, etc. may have traces of harmful bugs on the outside of the packaging.”
The FSA claims it’s possible for fatal bacteria — such as E. coli and campylobacter — to transfer from the outside of food packaging to the reusable bag, and then transfer back to future store-bought products, even when there’s no trace of leakage. If there are any obvious signs of spillage, plastic bags should be replaced and cotton bags should be machine washed. The FSA suggests that shoppers label or color-code reusable bags to help keep raw meats and fish away from other products."
FoodSafety.gov confirms that E. Coli bacteria comes from raw meat, fish and vegetables. E. Coli causes bloody diarrhea and can sometimes cause kidney failure and even death. Elderly, infants and those with compromised immune systems face the greatest risks.
Several of the places in Park County where Boomerang Bags are available sell products that could be contaminated with E. Coli bacteria. Boomerang Bags are not washed before every use and there is no way to tell what another person may have previously put in the bag. During the summer it is likely that the bags will be stored in hot cars and trunks where bacteria can multiply rapidly.
We are reminded that in 1984 there was a bio-terrorist attack by the Rajneeshee cult in Dalles, Oregon. Wikipedia reports "The 1984 Rajneeshee bio-terror attack was the food poisoning of 751 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, through the deliberate contamination of salad bars at ten local restaurants with Salmonella. A group of prominent followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later known as Osho) led by Ma Anand Sheela had hoped to incapacitate the voting population of the city so that their own candidates would win the 1984 Wasco County elections. The incident was the first and single largest bio-terrorist attack in United States history."
Single use plastic bags are sanitary and may be easily and safely recycled. Walmart and other big box stores have large containers where the public is encouraged to deposit plastic shopping bags regardless of what retailer they came from.