It seems that eco-friendly reusable shopping bags could be hazardous for our health. According to the first microbiological study in North America of earth-friendly shopping bags, these totes are better for the environment than plastic bags, but they may be a source of dangerous bacteria, yeast and mold which could make us sick.

The 15-page paper, published on the Web site for Canada's Environment and Plastics Industry Council, states that the potential hazards of reusable bags include "food poisoning ... bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthma attacks, and ear infections." In contrast, plastic shopping bags may be bad for the environment, but they are much more hygienic than reusable ones, EPIC said.

Two independent laboratories that were hired by the Canadian Plastics Industry Association to study the reusable bags, found that 64 per cent of the totes tested were contaminated with some level of bacteria, and nearly 30 per cent had increased bacterial counts which is higher than what is considered to be safe for drinking water. In addition, 40 per cent of the bags contained yeast or mold, and some of the totes even had detectable levels of fecal intestinal bacteria.

The presence of fecal bacteria in some of the reusable bags is of a particular concern, Dr. Richard Summerbell, research director at Toronto-based Sporometrics and former chief of medical mycology for the Ontario Ministry of Health, stated. Dr. Summerbell described the problem as being similar to the problem of kitchen cutting boards spreading germs, and said that the more waterproof a shopping bag is, as in the case of plastic bags, the more likely it is to harbor pathogens. The major danger comes from even a little bit of spillage in the bag, from some meat or some eggs, he said, after what the food-poisoning organisms are likely to be transferred over to other food.

The scientist recommended that all meat products should be individually wrapped before being placed in a shopping bag to prevent against leakage. This must become a primary safety standard across the entire grocery industry, he said. Individuals should never use fabric reusable bags that they use for food shopping, for carrying gym clothes, shoes or diapers or anything else, except groceries, in order to prevent possible exposure to a super-bug called community-acquired MRSA, a highly resistant to antibiotics form of a common infectious bacterium, Dr. Summerbell cautioned.

Researchers said that while airing out the bags can be helpful, however, unless the bags are washed, there is always the possibility of contamination if the same bags are used repeatedly over and over again, and always the possibility that check-out staff in stores may be unwittingly transferring these microbes from someone else's reusable bags to your reusable bags as the contaminants get on their hands.

Reusable bags can be washed with hot water and bleach, but the experts said that drying them could be a little problematic. They warned consumers not just to dry the totes by laying them out flat. Instead, the bags should be turned inside out and left like that for a while in order to be properly aired out. Another possible suggestion is to consider using one-time plastic bags for meat products.

The study was funded by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council, an industry initiative to promote responsible use and recovery of plastic resources. EPIC is a committee of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.

Tags: Environmental Health

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