VIDEO: Fast food ice dirtier than toilet water, study finds

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A new study by UK's The Daily Mail found that ice from McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King and KFC, to name a few, contains more bacteria than toilet water. RT's Margaret Howell breaks down the report.
 
If you think about it toilet water might not be that dirty as long as no one's pissed or shit in it. It's just a headline that's intentionally meant to sound sensational, it's a dumb comparison. I'm sure the solution that the people who did the study recommend is more government regulations. Maybe a ban of fast food all out to protect us from ourselves.
 
Clever wording. "Study finds Fast food ice can be dirtier than some toilets".

Here's the truth. If you live in society (or frankly anywhere), you're going to encounter germs and lots of them. I have to laugh at germophobes who think being overly clean will shelter them from it.
 
Ice makers can be difficult to clean and is a chore that often gets neglected.

I've seen some pretty filthy ones.

But that said, yah, sounds like more germophobe headlining.
 
Clever wording. "Study finds Fast food ice can be dirtier than some toilets".

And what's more, "dirtier" is a HUGE "waffle-word" as it is used here. Clearly, it is intended that we interpret "dirtier" in the qualitative (and entirely subjective) sense of "nastier." Apparently, though, it is only justified (if at all) in the quantitative sense of "parts-per-million" or "parts-per-billion" or some such. Not all bacteria are created equal, though - and the ones you're apt to find in a toilet are not necessarily the same ones you're likely to find in an ice-maker.

And even our concerns over "toilet" bacteria are driven FAR more by primal scatalogical fears than by reasoned thought & rationality. After all, all the "nasty stuff" that goes into toilets came out of our bodies in the first place [1]. Serious problems arise when that "nasty stuff" is allowed to sit, stagnate and serve as a "breeding ground" - but that's not the case with modern toiletry/plumbing.

We are being invited to apply our (survival-advantaged) disgust with shitty things to fast-food ice-makers. And that's a pretty shitty thing to do ...

The manic "germophobia" exploited by this "study" is probably a greater & more active danger than the germs & bacteria themselves - especially when it manifests in such ways as the widespread use of "anti-bacterial" soaps. (A thing for which we are one day going to pay ...)

[1] Usually because it's stuff the body doesn't need, can't use or is present in quantities too great for the body to process. Despite our shiversome disgust, it is generally harmless, in and of itself. There are, of course, exceptions to this - as in the case of "infected" effluvia from someone who is already diseased, poisoned, etc. These exceptions are why our "overreaction" to "shitty things" is a survival advantage.
 
Ice machine cleaning/maintenance is something I do regularly. I DO NOT drink ice from a machine I haven't cleaned myself. If not properly maintained, they are a horror show of rainbow colored slime and mold.
 
Ice machine cleaning/maintenance is something I do regularly. I DO NOT drink ice from a machine I haven't cleaned myself. If not properly maintained, they are a horror show of rainbow colored slime and mold.

This is what I have heard for quite some time. This piece would have carried a lot more weight if they had isolated the primary problem by doing more investigative journalism.

I highly recommend not using ice at fast food restaurants. But of course it will fall on deaf ears with some.
 
I think it's so gross the water that comes out of the tap is the same water used to flush the toilet. I think sewage water should never be recycled for drinking and bathing. We ought to have 2 separate lines.
 
I think it's so gross the water that comes out of the tap is the same water used to flush the toilet. I think sewage water should never be recycled for drinking and bathing. We ought to have 2 separate lines.

Where would you draw "fresh" water from?

Living in the country and being on a well I can with 100% certainty state that every septic tank,cow/horse/deer/bird etc. within 100 miles upstream of the underground aquifer I draw from has contributed to the water "quality"...

If a person really wants "clean" drinking water then distillation is the only method I'm aware of....

For me and my family ground filtration works just fine...
 
I don't take the Daily Mail seriously anymore. There's a reason Brits like to call it "The Daily Fail". ;)
 
The manic "germophobia" exploited by this "study" is probably a greater & more active danger than the germs & bacteria themselves - especially when it manifests in such ways as the widespread use of "anti-bacterial" soaps. (A thing for which we are one day going to pay ...)

And THAT should be a topic all to itself. The control of legislation and the masses, with fear mongering rumors.
 
Where would you draw "fresh" water from?

Living in the country and being on a well I can with 100% certainty state that every septic tank,cow/horse/deer/bird etc. within 100 miles upstream of the underground aquifer I draw from has contributed to the water "quality"...

If a person really wants "clean" drinking water then distillation is the only method I'm aware of....

For me and my family ground filtration works just fine...

Exactly. What do people want, pure H2O? That would be boring and probably not very healthy. We need minerals, etc...and even some bacteria.
 
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