# help finding an SD article

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-an-sd-article/402675>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 3, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-an-sd-article/402675 "2007-05-03T22:22:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-an-sd-article/402675/1 "2007-05-03T22:22:02Z")

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I remember reading a Cecil article debunking the “5-second rule” (food touching the floor being edible if picked up within a few seconds), but I can’t find it no matter what search terms I use. I’m sure I’m just being an idiot, but anyone have a quick link to it? My ability to mock a co-worker depends on it.

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**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-an-sd-article/402675/2 "2007-05-03T22:31:58Z")

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I couldn’t find Cecil’s article, but [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/dropped.asp) dealt with the five-second rule.

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**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-an-sd-article/402675/3 "2007-05-03T22:47:21Z")

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[QUOTE=pinkfreud]  
I couldn’t find Cecil’s article, but [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/dropped.asp) dealt with the five-second rule.  
[/QUOTE]

Hmmm… perhaps I got the two confused… thanks for the help! (Shame that the cite is a high school girl’s science project, but oh, well…)

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**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-an-sd-article/402675/4 "2007-05-04T01:33:40Z")

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[QUOTE=filmyak]  
(Shame that the cite is a high school girl’s science project, but oh, well…)  
[/QUOTE]  
Why? If the methodology is OK, what does it matter?

According to the articles i’ve read on the subject ([example](http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news2467.html)), the experiment was done in a university laboratory under the guidance of a doctoral candidate.