Grocery Cart Handles - Dirtier than sewers.....

We all could have assumed this were true prior to doing a study but here it is in black and white. Maybe our local chains will step up the efforts to provide the wipes mentioned.


Study finds grocery cart handles are dirtier than public restrooms


02/06/2006


A new study finds that grocery cart handles carry more germs, bacteria, and bodily fluids than surfaces in public restrooms, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson tested nearly 1,100 surfaces in public areas and found that grocery cart handles trail only public bus handrails and equipment at children’s playgrounds in a ranking of the dirtiest public surfaces. The carts tested positive for proteins found in blood, mucus, sweat, saliva, and urine, as well as for fecal matter, E. coli, and salmonella. Researchers found that about half of shopping cart handles “weren’t frequently cleaned,” and 21% tested positive for bodily fluids. To address the problem, a number of grocery retailers have begun offering customers SaniCart Wipes manufactured by Nic-Pak Products to clean carts between uses. Named “Best New Product” in 2004, the wipes are one of several EPA-registered disinfectants that are designed to eliminate the common flu virus, staph, and salmonella (Cho, 2/3).