The deadly link between your dishwasher and DEMENTIA... and 10 other unexpected ways your kitchen can make you sick
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Kitchens are usually home to the most delicious items in your house, but mounting research has revealed that almost every appliance can also make you incredibly sick.
From countertops and sinks to refrigerators and microwaves, scientists have found some disturbing links between these items and conditions like cancer, dementia, and sepsis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that 48 million people in the US get sick from foodborne diseases each year, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
While food poisoning cases involving salmonella, listeria, norovirus, and E coli contribute to many kitchen-related illnesses and deaths, contaminated food is not the only thing people have to worry about.
Dishwashers have been linked to the rise in dementia cases through their ability to spread microplastics that inundate the brain.
Gas stoves have been connected to the spread of toxic chemicals that cause various respiratory illnesses, including asthma.
Even cooking pans have been linked to cancer and infertility because of the 'forever' chemicals used in their construction.
Here are 11 of the most concerning ways danger could be lurking in your kitchen.
Kitchen counters can harbor a smorgasbord of harmful pathogens due to poor cleaning habits and cross-contamination between different foods being prepared.
Dr Darin Detwiler, a food safety expert at Northeastern University in Boston, recently shared with the Daily Mail that the number of food poisoning outbreaks has continued to grow since the CDC's last full review of the problem in 2019.
'Each time you wipe a countertop or rinse a dish, you risk transferring millions of harmful microbes to your hands, cooking tools, and food,' Dr Detwiler added in HuffPost.
A 2017 study in Food Protection Trends found that unsafe handling of raw meat and unwashed produce significantly increases the risk of E coli and salmonella infections.
This bacteria can spread after contaminating the clothes someone wears in their kitchen. Immediate symptoms of an infection include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
The tool many people use to clean their kitchen counters may be an even more dangerous hiding place for germs.
The moist environment of a sponge makes them notoriously one of the dirtiest items in the kitchen.
Food safety expert Sylvia Anderson told the Daily Mail that a sponge's porous structure and ability to soak up water makes it an ideal incubator for microorganisms.
Kitchen counters, sinks, and sponges can harbor countless pathogens due to poor cleaning habits and cross-contamination between different foods being prepared (Stock image)
'Bacteria from sponges can transfer to dishes, counters, and hands, leading to foodborne illnesses or infections,' she added.
In 2017 a study in Scientific Reports analyzed microbial communities in used kitchen sponges and found 45 billion bacteria per square centimeter of sponge.
That same report revealed that these microbial colonies can cause skin infections, especially among individuals with weakened immune systems.
Specifically, scientists have found that dirty sponges can carry Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, potentially deadly bacteria that cause skin infections if transferred to hands or open wounds.
Another place where sponges are often used or kept, kitchen sinks are notorious traps for harmful pathogens that can cause food poisoning.
They can become reservoirs for pathogens like E coli, salmonella, and pseudomonas due to food residue and moisture building up on the sink surface or in the drains.
A 2016 study in Journal of Applied Microbiology found that kitchen sinks are often more contaminated than toilets, with biofilms harboring bacteria that can contaminate food or utensils, leading to food poisoning.
Even if someone tries to stay safe by practicing good hygiene in their kitchen, germs will find you.
Cutting boards are filled with harmful bacteria, and are perhaps the riskiest kitchen utensil when it comes to contracting infections.
'Cross-contamination is the biggest concern. If you use the same chopping board for raw meat and vegetables without washing it, bacteria like Campylobacter or E coli can transfer to ready-to-eat foods, leading to serious illness,' Anderson told the Daily Mail.
One 2023 study by the UK's Food Standards Agency found about half of household cutting boards harbor bacteria.
These pathogens include salmonella and campylobacter, which are leading causes of diarrheal disease.
The study concluded that you may be safer opting for a wooden cutting board over a plastic one.
'Wooden boards are naturally antimicrobial but need regular oiling to prevent cracking. Plastic boards, while dishwasher safe, can develop deep cuts that trap bacteria, making thorough cleaning difficult,' Anderson warned.
You may be safer opting for a wooden cutting board over a plastic one, a 2023 study suggested (Stock image)
A new study has found that dishwashers may be a secret cause of the rising rates of dementia throughout the world.
Scientists from the University of Queensland warned that placing plastic items in the dishwasher leads to the release of toxic microplastics, which can then contaminate other utensils.
Microplastics are small enough to breach biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier, raising concerns about their potential impact on human health and brain function.
These particles have been linked not only to dementia, but also to cancer, heart disease and fertility issues.
The 2025 study found that a single dishwasher cycle involving plastic plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery can release nearly a million particles.
Scientists found mechanical dishwashing of plastic plates, bowls, cups and cutlery leads to the release of micro and nano-sized particles that may eventually infiltrate the brain (Stock image)
According to Professor Judith Evans, of London South Bank University, and Oleskii Omelchenko, a PhD researcher at the Quadram Institute, your refrigerator could be a breeding ground for disease.
Although this everyday appliance is meant to keep your food fresh and safe, fridges can help bacteria grow if the temperature is not right.
However, the experts warn that even a 'well-chilled' fridge could harbor invisible dangers if you don't take the right precautions.
A 2020 study in Food Control found that refrigerator temperatures above 41°F (5°C) can allow pathogens like listeria or salmonella to survive, potentially contributing to foodborne illness.
'Part of the problem is that many fridges lack an accurate, accessible way to monitor their internal temperature,' Evans and Omelchenko said in The Conversation.
'On top of that, every time you open the door, warm air rushes in. The longer the door stays open, especially if you're lingering while choosing a snack, the more the internal temperature climbs toward room temperature, creating a more suitable environment for bacteria to thrive.'
Scientists have warned that many fridges are not cold enough to prevent bacterial growth. Leaving the doors open for too long can make this worse, as it allows warm air to enter (Stock image)
Scientists say that the invisible microbes in your fridge are linked to respiratory and urinary infections, food poisoning, and miscarriages among pregnant women
According to Dr Ben Ewald, gas stoves are among the most dangerous household appliances today.
'Living with a gas stove is the health equivalent of living with a smoker,' he warned.
Studies have shown that tiny but harmful nanoparticles, such as nitrogen dioxide, produced by the flames are the perfect size to flow into the human respiratory system and stick to your lungs, triggering several respiratory illnesses.
Dr Ewald warned that breathing in these particles while cooking can lead to acute asthma, increased allergies, and even pneumonia.
Scientists said the flames also release formaldehyde, which is another respiratory irritant, and tiny amounts of benzene, a known carcinogen.
A 2023 study in Environmental Health Perspectives found that 12.7 percent of childhood asthma cases in the US could be attributed to gas stove emissions.
Researchers found that stoves using gas and propane added up to a yearly exposure to nitrogen dioxide of 4 parts per billion, which they estimated was responsible for roughly 50,000 childhood asthma cases
As for the pots and pans you're placing on these gas burners, non-stick cookware is coated with chemicals now linked to severe hormone dysfunction.
Scientists have repeatedly warned about the dangers of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
These toxins are called 'forever chemicals' because they can linger in the environment for thousands of years. Multiple studies have been linked to everything from cancer to infertility.
Dr Nathan Cohen, an expert in environmental medicine and public health at Mount Sinai Health in New York, said that these recent findings, 'should serve as a warning to women everywhere about the potentially harmful effects of PFAS when they are planning to conceive.'
'We can minimize PFAS exposure by avoiding foods that are associated with higher levels of these chemicals and by purchasing PFAS-free products.'
Scientists have linked exposure to so called forever chemicals found in items like non-stick cookware with reduced odds of having a baby
Microwave ovens can harbor bacteria if not cleaned properly, as food splatters create environments for microbial growth.
A 2024 study in Frontiers in Microbiology investigated bacterial contamination in household appliances, including microwaves, and found bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus in uncleaned microwaves.
These bacteria can cause infections if transferred to food or surfaces. S aureus can cause severe infections, including sepsis, if it enters the bloodstream through contaminated food or wounds.
Cancer can be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, radiation, or environmental pollutants.
Laundry machines can contribute to cancer risk by dispersing chemical residues from detergents, solvents from dry-cleaned clothes, or microplastics into the clothes you wear.
Some detergents may also contain cancer-causing compounds that persist on clothes or in the environment long after the wash cycle.
The 2011 Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health study confirmed that scented detergents and dryer sheets release cancer-causing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like acetaldehyde and benzene through dryer vents, posing a potential risk of breathing in these toxins.
Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by the botulinum neurotoxin and produced by Clostridium botulinum, a spore-forming bacterium. It leads to paralysis, which can be life-threatening if untreated.
Household garbage cans could contribute to botulism by harboring Clostridium botulinum spores in food waste, particularly from improperly canned or spoiled food.
A 2018 case report in Journal of Medical Case Reports described two cases of foodborne botulism in Germany linked to home-canned green beans.
The infections caused cranial nerve paralysis and descending quadriparesis - weakness or paralysis starting in the upper body and spreading to the legs - in a 47-year-old woman and her husband.
The diagnosis was confirmed by detecting botulinum toxin type A in the woman’s blood. Symptoms of the condition included dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, and breathing problems severe enough to need a machine to help them breathe.
Daily Mail
