> ALWAYS WASH IT FIRST!
>
>
>
>
>
> 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 or
> 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 or 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....
>
>
>
> THE MESSAGE IS:::::::::
> 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 on
> e 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
> have 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.
>
> Please forward this message to the people you care
> about....
>
> ~I JUST DID~
important
ICK!!! I have a friend of mine whose husband worked for Coke said the rats run all over the warehouse and he told her not to ever buy cans of soda that were not boxed.
Now I am so grossed out. Crusted urine did me in.
Thanks for the reminder.
these Rat urine stories have been around on the internet since 1998
go here for the truth http://www.snopes.com/toxins/raturine.asp
please check the truth of these type of stories before you start trying to scare everyone
there are several places on the web, put Urban Legend in any search engine
& it will find several places for you
then put the header of the story or an important line in the Urban Legend search
Dick
Dick , I agree.
Maybe someone should circulate an instructional eMail on using snopes.
;-)
Thanks Dick !!
I think what Tony posted is very reasonable advice. Rat droppings can kill you. Even your link says so, Dick. Perhaps the actual stories are false but truth is there. And I know rats run around in at least one warehouse in No. California. LOL!!! Hopefully the rats are not sick ones, but I sure do not want to drink from a can that a rat has run across or done worse.
I only buy the cans in boxes since I was told. No more open six packs for me.
From your link Dick
"Most scares contain a vague whiff of plausibility, and this is true with both stories listed above. Although there is nothing inherently toxic about urine or feces from a healthy rat, excretions from a sick rat are another kettle of fish, and perhaps that is what this bit of scarelore is addressing. There have been several rat urine stories in the news of late.
Leptospirosis, better known as Weil's disease, is a potentially deadly illness caused by bacteria passed along to humans in contact with urine from diseased animals (rats, frogs, rabbits, snakes, pigs and dogs). It is picked up rurally from swimming in contaminated lakes and reservoirs. In cities, the bacteria are passed along more easily — people splashing through puddles in areas that have a large rodent population might contract the disease, and eating or drinking contaminated food and water is always a danger. Leptospirosis can also be contracted by rubbing eyes with dirty hands. People with open cuts and wounds are especially vulnerable to the bacteria, as it can be picked up almost anywhere.
As the rat population in cities grows, so does the potential for contact with this disease.
Leptospirosis typically causes aches, pains and fever that go away on their own. One in ten cases includes high fever, jaundice, meningitis (inflammation of the brain lining), acute kidney failure, internal bleeding and, occasionally, death. Victims can die if they develop serious kidney or liver complications. In extreme cases, death follows three to six days after infection. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.
In November 1998 leptospirosis killed eight people and hospitalized one hundred in China. In the same month in 1997, 22 people died from the same cause out of the 300 who were infected with it. In the United States, 100 to 200 cases of leptospirosis occur each year (with about half of those in Hawaii), according to the Center for Disease Control.
Another disease passed on through rat urine is hantavirus. It is transmitted to humans through breathing in particles of an infected rodent's urine, droppings or saliva. The virus becomes airborne when excrement dries. Early symptoms mimic the flu and can progress to respiratory failure. Since 1993, 21 deaths in the United States have been blamed on this disease.
In general, urine-encrusted soda cans are not the most likely purveyors of these diseases. Most cans of soda are packaged into cardboard boxes while still on the production line and thus aren't at any risk of contamination. Additionally, once bottlers have mixed soft drink syrup in with soda water and sweetener, they try to get the finished product to the consumer as expeditiously as possible. Soft drink bottlers don't warehouse large inventories of finished product for any length of time — freshness is everything, so the product is moved out quickly, leaving little opportunity for rodents to use the tops of cans as latrines. Moreover, any rats living in bottling plants are going to be hanging out where they can find food, and the best place for them to find food is where the product ingredients are mixed. There's little or nothing for a rat to dine on in the finished product area.
Nonetheless, it's still always a good idea to wipe off cans from exposed six-packs or those dispensed from drink machines, if for no other reason than to avoid picking up something passed on by the human handlers of the product. "
PS Tonyjr from Union City. I just noticed you are brand new here at Dave's. How nice you already want to keep us all safe. THANKS
I know you will just love it here. Everyone here is just so nice and helpful.
Kell
i totally agree with you
never drink from a can with out wiping the top off
& Welcome to DavesGarden Tony jr.
Dick
One of my instructors in nursing school made a big point to tell us to ALWAYS clean off the top of a can you are going to take food or drink out of.
I agree. Thanks Cindy