health reminder

ghost

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This incident happened recently in north Texas.

We need to be even more careful everywhere.

A woman went boating one Sunday, taking with her some cans of coke which she put in the refrigerator of the boat.

On Monday she was taken into Intensive Care Unit and on Wednesday she died.
The autopsy revealed a certain Leptospirose caused by the can of coke from which she had drunk, not using a glass.

A test showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.

Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances.

It is highly recommended to wash thoroughly the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them as they have been stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.

A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets i.e. full of germs and bacteria.

So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.

Please forward this message to all the people you care about.

( I JUST DID ! )
 
And this is TRUE, this is not a joke, please tell all your online pals. Microsoft and and Sophos both say it is a deadly virus.


"The autopsy revealed a certain Leptospirose caused by the can of coke..... "

I take my hat off to the pathologist who determined that! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I'd just like to add that american rat piss is more or less the same as any other nationality rat piss
 
can't help thinking this is one of those urban myths. A google search shows it all over the place. For example the newsletter of the Swarminayan temple in East London (not that I'm a regular reader, you understand), lists the same story in jan 2004 but happening in Belgium, not Texas. here for details
 
I would have thought the phosphoric acid et al in a can of coke would have killed all known germs .... bit like domestos used to claim to do - r u sure she wasnt snacking on something else in between slurps /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
guys.....this is a long known problem and deadly serious.
Teaching sailing in the London docks we were constantly reminded of this nastyness that, is more prone / likely to occur during hot spells, in / around stillwaters'. Canoeists' were most at risk on the canals, aparently due to the amount of rats, the confined water and lack of movement in the water.
In cash n carry's these cases of drinks just sit on pallets and any vermin can do whatever, any food item from any shop should be washed sure, but canned drinks being put from storage straight to mouth and unwashed will undoubtbly carry some bug. How many times have you had a can or two of your favourite with your crew en route, to find you got minor tube turmoil next day/later, when 'usually' you can go four or five with no gut rot?
 
Quote from another web site
" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Got a safety bulletin today on cans of juice and thought I'd share it.

Safety topic: Avoid drinking straight from Cans

This incident happened recently in Belgium.

“A woman went boating on Sunday, taking with her some cans of coke which she put in the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken into clinic and Wednesday she died.

The autopsy revealed a certain Leptospirose (potentially serious bacterial illness that is most common in the tropics) caused by the can of coke from which she had drunk, not using a glass. A tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis. Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances.

It is highly recommended to wash thoroughly the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them as they have been stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.

A study in Spain showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets i.e. full of germs and bacteria. So to washing them with water is advised before putting it to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.

Always use a glass or a straw."

Erm, this was in Sept 2004, I'd bet that this is an urban myth. Sorry, Ghost, you may be right but the stories are too close for me.
__________________
It’s better to burn out than to fade away
 
agreed, the wording is almost verbatum.
The page was sent to me by a concerned wellwishing friend.
The message in there still stands 'tho, give your'e cans a rinse
 
Some facts about Weil's disease here.

When sailing on the Thames we were regularly warned that if we fell in and subsequently developed flu-like symptoms, perhaps accompanied by severe headache, we should see a doctor and tell him to check for Weil's.
 
A few years back when I was thinking of a change of career due to early retirement (redundancy) I went on a 'pub' course which included food hygene etc.

It was pointed out that people who drink out of bottles risk all sorts of 'problems'. OK so the crown cork covers the bottle opening and the lip so, in theory, when the bottle is decanted into the glass the contents should contact an area kept 'sterile'by the crown cork. However when you drink fom the bottle..... Your mouth covers a greater area.
The crates of bottles are stored in a cellar (where rats can inhabit), and also placed on the ground where any passing dog can cock it's leg (especially the pub dog if it doesn't like the customers)

Nuff said? Maybe that's why some bottled lagers taste the way they do.
 
[ QUOTE ]
can't help thinking this is one of those urban myths. A google search shows it all over the place. For example the newsletter of the Swarminayan temple in East London (not that I'm a regular reader, you understand), lists the same story in jan 2004 but happening in Belgium, not Texas. here for details

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, another urban myth, have a look here. dates back to 1998.

Weils disease is real though and a risk to river users particularly after floods when rat holes get flooded out by rising water levels. I don't know if they still do, but the large canoe organisations used to provide an information card for members to give to their doctors if they developed certain symptoms after canoeing in rivers.
 
Potential risk

Weil's disease is a potentially serious problem for freshwater anglers and other water users, a friend of mine died because of it. He died because of infection via a cut.

But, to put a degree of perspective about the likelihood of infection, I've been fishing for 45 years and that's the only case that I'm aware of.
 
Re: Potential risk

I got quite a deap but small cut in the hand while diving to clear out a moat some time ago. A couple of paramedic mates who were there also told me to see the quack about Weils so I did.

Quack said there was little point in testing for it & just prescribed a course of penecillin.

Point is that it responds very well to penecillin so if in doubt go see the doc.
 
Re: Potential risk

One important point, not that you have said anything different BTW, but Weils can not survive in salt water. But I am sure if you swim in the sea with an open cut there is plenty more that can get you!
 
Although Weils is more common in water the local health people down here issue a warning every summer to hikers across the moors to wear long trousers and keep the sleeves rolled down. This is because sheep ticks in bracken also carry the virus.
In 1961 while serving in the Commonwealth Brigade in Malaya, as it was then, I was hospitalised with an arm wound and in the bed opposite me was the CO of 2nd Royal Australian Regiment suffering from Leptospirosis as we knew it. From a tough and athletic infantryman he went to a near skeleton in about 8 days. He did recover, but had to return home to Oz. It was thought he contracted it through a small open wound while wading across a river.
 
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