The five-second rule, sometimes known as the three-second rule, is a food hygiene myth that

The five-second rule, sometimes known as the three-second rule, is a food hygiene myth that states a defined time window where it is safe to pick up food (or sometimes cutlery) after it has been dropped on the floor or on the ground and thus exposed to contamination.

There appears to be no scientific consensus on the general applicability of the rule, and its origin is unclear. It probably originated succeeding germ theory in the late 19th century. The first known mention of the rule in print is in the 1995 novel Wanted: Rowing Coach.

RESEARCH
The five-second rule has received some scholarly attention. It has been studied as both a public health recommendation and a sociological effect.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
In 2003, Jillian Clarke of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign found in a survey that 56% of men and 70% of women surveyed, were familiar with the five-second rule. She also determined that a variety of foods were significantly contaminated by even brief exposure to a tile inoculated with E. coli. On the other hand, Clarke found no significant evidence of contamination on public flooring. For this work, Clarke received the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize in public health. A more thorough study in 2006 using salmonella on wood, tiles, and nylon carpet, found that the bacteria were able to thrive under dry conditions even after twenty-eight days. Tested on surfaces that had been contaminated with salmonella eight hours previously, the bacteria were still able to contaminate bread and bologna in under five seconds. But a minute-long contact increased contamination about tenfold (especially tile and carpet surfaces).

LINK TO ARTICLE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-second_rule

TAGS: Five-second rule, Urban legends, Applied microbiology, Rules of thumb, Misconceptions, Food safety, American cultural conventions

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