So, I had one breath mint left as I was awaiting the arrival of my date, and when I was unwrapping it I dropped the damn thing on the sidewalk. It barely touched the ground. It didn’t land on any dog poo or used condoms… so was it still okay to eat? How long does it take germs or other noxious substances to “jump” onto my mint?
** vl_mungo**
Welcome to the boards.
In the top RHS of your screen you will notice a search function. It’s always well worth checking to see whether a question has been answered before. Even though these questions will be answered you’ll usually find more people will respond the first time round and the quality of the information is better. It’s also faster than waiting for a response.
The SDMB search function is your friend.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=54266
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=47039
Cheers.
Welcome to the SDMB. There is a thread around here somewhere in which someone says it takes about 4.5 seconds for harmful bacteria to jump onto dropped food. I think that was on the average America kitchen floor though. You can use the seacrch link above to try to find it.
I’m guessing it is a moot point now anyway because you already ate it didn’t you? 
Will power helps. You eat it and keep repeating to yourself “I’m not going to catch anything” and
you don’t.
I know this to be true, because friends, I ate that mint…
Redboss