A recent email from a friend prompted today's sharing of a potential health hazard which affects all of us.
Every fortnight or so I would visit the hypermarket to replenish provisions and other household items. Amongst the many foodstuff that we purchased are canned food and drinks, packets or boxes of cereals, bottled stuff like sauces and condiments which are packed in some form or other.
As soon as everything has been unloaded from the car, they are wiped with a damp cloth to rid the surface of any dust or grime. Furthermore, everyone in the family has been trained to wash the can or bottle before opening it.
As a matter of fact, the wiping is not limited to only foodstuff; all packages are cleaned, be they toilet rolls, tissue boxes, hand creams or shampoo bottles before they are stored!
Reading the following story makes it all the more valid to properly clean all packaging before storing and using the products. Better be safe than sorry!
A stock clerk was sent to clean up a storeroom in Maui , Hawaii .When he got back, he was complaining that the storeroom was really filthy and that he had noticed dried mouse/rat droppings in some areas.A couple of days later, he started to feel like he was coming down with a stomach flu, complained of sore joints and headaches, and began to vomit.He went to bed and never really got up again. Within two days he was severely ill and weak. His blood sugar count was down to 66, and his face and eyeballs were yellow. He was rushed to the emergency at Pali-Momi, where he was diagnosed to be suffering from massive organ failure. He died shortly before midnight.No one would have made the connection between his job and his death, had it not been for a doctor who specifically asked if he had been in a warehouse or exposed to dried rat/mouse droppings at any time. They said there is a virus (much like the Hanta virus) that lives in dried rat and mouse droppings.Once dried, these droppings are like dust and can easily be breathed in or ingested if a person does not wear protective gear or fails to wash face and hands thoroughly .An autopsy was performed on the clerk to verify the doctor's suspicions.This is why it is extremely important to ALWAYS carefully rinse off the tops of canned sodas or foods, and to wipe off pasta packaging, cereal boxes, and so on.Almost everything you buy in a supermarket was stored in a warehouse at one time or another, and stores themselves often have rodents.Most of us remember to wash vegetables and fruits but never think of boxes and cans.The ugly truth is, even the most modern, upper-class, super store has rats and mice. And their warehouse most assuredly does!Whenever you buy any canned soft drink, please make sure that you wash the top with running water and soap or, if that is not available, drink with a straw.The investigation of soda cans by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta discovered that the tops of soda cans can be encrusted with dried rat's urine, which is so toxic it can be lethal. Canned drinks and other foodstuffs are stored in warehouses and containers that are usually infested with rodents, and then they get transported to retail outlets without being properly cleaned.
