Edward Willett

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A new way to kill disease-causing bacteria

Clay: not just for pottery any more.

Posted by Edward Willett at 16:42, November 13th, 2006 under Blog | Comment now »

Kitchen germs

In my small, elderly house, the bathroom opens onto the kitchen, which has always worried me: I keep picturing armies of bacteria marching out of the bathroom to contaminate my food. It turns out my concern is misguided: a recent study indicates it's more likely bacteria from the kitchen will contaminate my bathroom.. Scientists from the University of Arizona in Tucson tested several houses and discovered the kitchens were almost always more contaminated with bacteria than the bathrooms, even by germs spread by fecal contamination, such as E. coli (source of "Hamburger disease"). In fact, the average toilet rim was relatively germ-free compared to the average counter top....

Posted by Edward Willett at 11:05, February 24th, 1997 under Blog, Columns, Science Columns | Comment now »