Every time I go to Wal-Mart, or Hy-Vee (a Midwest grocery store,) I see these reusable bags for a dollar. I don’t buy them because a) the other bags are free and b) I would never remember to bring it to the store anyway.
However, in some states, there is no such thing as free grocery bags. For example, in Seattle, you have to pay a twenty cents per bag tax. Other cities are still considering it.
There is a down side to using your handy “green” grocery bag. It can make you very sick:
A microbiological study — a first in North America — of the popular, eco-friendly bags has uncovered some unsettling facts. Swab-testing by two independent laboratories found unacceptably high levels of bacterial, yeast, mold and coliform counts in the reusable bags.
“The main risk is food poisoning,” Dr. Richard Summerbell, research director at Toronto-based Sporometrics and former chief of medical mycology for the Ontario Ministry of Health, stated in a news release. Dr. Summerbell evaluated the study results.
“But other significant risks include skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthma attacks, and ear infections,” he stated.
Bacterial boils. That sounds really nice. Almost as nice as fecal matter. Oh yeah, the bags had fecal matter in them.
So, the unintended consequences of pimping these reusable bags is an increase of food poisoning and skin irritation. Personally, I’ll take plastic.
By the way, The simple solution is to wash your bags. With bleach.
Hat Tip: Rick Moore
