Eating in a car presents real health risks, unless you are an obsessive cleaner. London’s Daily Mail reports that numerous germs associated with food poisoning, skin infection and even vomiting were found in a study by Halfords, a British car accessories retailer. Such bacteria as staphylococcus, bacillus cereus and others could be responsible for officially ruining your day.
Eating in a car is a prescription for staph infection
Staph moves very easily from car surface to person, causing anything from impetigo to a marked lack of intestinal stability. Bacillus cereus can sit in a vehicle’s heating ducts until the system is turned on and the warmth causes the spores to grow. Similarly, leaving the car parked in the hot sun can do the very same. If there are food particles after eating in a car, bacteria will inevitably grow.
Clean what individuals touch or get sick
Food poisoning that causes severe nausea, parbreak or diarrhea could be avoided if interior surfaces are cleaned thoroughly. Staph is typically found in areas where hands might go (wheel, knobs, shift, handles), when bacillus gets down within the dirt on the mats, carpet, seats and vents. Of infected cars Halfords found, 70 percent of the owners admitted to eating in a car. Of all cars surveyed, half said they cleaned the inside of their car less than once a month, says the Daily Mail. Halfords makes a point of recommending that car owners clean a minimum of once per week.
Eating in a car is bad, but cooking on an engine is A-OK
How to Do Things writes that engine block cooking with hot dogs and other foods is quite possible. Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil – maybe even double- or triple-wrap – as this protects both the food and the engine parts. Pop the hood and place the wrapped hot dog on the part of your engine that generates probably the most warmth, but is safely away from any wires and lines. This will vary from car to car, so do a hand test sometime and see if you can feel where the most heat is escaping. Obviously, do not touch the engine with your hand, as doing so will cause a nasty burn.
Once you’ve found the place, secure the food using something that won’t melt or burn up. You want the food to fit snug, but not cover the engine so much the engine overheats. Close the hood and drive. How long will depend upon car, food and engine. For additional data on how to car cook hot dogs or other foods, check out the whimsical book “Manifold Destiny”.
Citations
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1284632/Eating-wheel-puts-risk-food-poisoning.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.howtodothings.com/automotive/how-to-cook-food-on-your-car-engine
http://books.google.com/books?id=tZIFAAAACAAJ&dq=cooking+on+your+car+engine&ei=CwYMR7nrDI–ogLO_oTdDg
