To control the microbe contamination, chemical cleaning using sodium hypochlorous had satisfactory result for eliminating organic and bacteria contamination.

In fact, says Chan, while safety rules are strict, more measures are taken to protect the bacteria from contamination than to protect the researchers from the bacteria.

The bean sprout crop that was the source of the outbreak requires a warm and humid environment to grow, which increases the risk of contamination by E. coli and other disease-causing bacteria.