http://www.salmonella.org/faq.html
>Bleach is an effective disinfectant of the countertop, but it is
>essential that the area is thoroughly cleaned because the bleach
>may not effectively penetrate any dried residue.
...
>A: Bleach will effectively kill Salmonella. but it demands prolonged
>exposure (also true for other decontamination solutions available).
>Bleach is a good way to decontaminate solid surfaces, for example if
>some solution is spilled.
...
>Although it seems trivial, that is not a easy question to answer
>because survival depends upon conditions like humidity, etc, and
>infection depends upon susceptibility and dose of the bacteria
>consumed.  However, when surrounded by proteins from the egg, it is
>clear that Salmonella can survive for weeks or months.  Therefore, it
>is a good idea to clean your counters thoroughly.  Salmonella is quite
>sensitive to mild disinfectants, including simple things like a dilute
>bleach solution.
http://www.metrokc.gov/health/prevcont/salmon.htm
 
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/a2z-s.html
Sidebar:
>You can use one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach per quart of
clean water to sanitize surfaces. The bleach solution needs to sit
on the surface to be sanitized for about 10 minutes to be effective.
Note: Don't wash raw produce with soap, detergents, or bleach
solutions. Rinse raw produce under running water.
 
(Interested me partly because I have seen the bleach wash in a food
prep show on commercial vegetable sellers.  I wonder if they have
this because it is so easy to do real damage to oneself by ingesting
bleach.  I would suspect that same caution may exist for meats.
Chemically, I wonder what the bleach does to the meat, itself, too.)
 
http://www.colostate.edu/Orgs/safefood/NEWSLTR/v9n2s03.html
>What NOT to Use
>Although fruit and vegetable processing plants routinely use
>chlorine as an effective antimicrobial agent in their produce
>washing operations, the amounts used and timing are carefully
>controlled to ensure safety. For consumers, use of detergent or
>laundry bleach for cleansing fruits and vegetables is highly risky.
>Fruits and vegetables are porous and can absorb the soap or bleach,
>which are not approved or labeled by the Foods and Drug Administration
>for use on foods.  Therefore, these products should NEVER be
>recommended for home use in cleaning foods.
 
Similar info in
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5353.html
plus
>Chlorine Bleach: Mixtures of chlorine bleach and water should be
>avoided on food because they may be toxic if too concentrated and
>may alter the taste of the produce.
 
and the risks of some other techniques
 
Salmonella and rodents:
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/healthandsafetyissues/a/rodentsalmonell.htm
 
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/foodfacts/salmonellae.shtml
 
http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/zoonoses/GIk9fel/salmonella.html
 
http://www.bfhd.wa.gov/forms/brochures/bbq.pdf
 
Again, ferrets do not usually get salmonella, but when you look at
multiple past vet posts and at vet texts you will repeatedly read
that when they do get salmonella it is extremely hard, and too often
impossible, to save the ferrets' lives.
 
Personally, I am more concerned by gastric TB (both avian and bovine) in
pets fed raw meats or raw milk; those are considered emerging zoonotics
among pets in some parts of the U.S. now according to state and federal
sites.  E coli is also a concern with raw feeding, as are several
parasites, etc.  So weigh the risk of contracting the problems with the
difficulty of treating, assured death with some of the problems, and
sometimes the requirement to destroy all exposed animals (as with
bTB -- but not aTB -- in some areas).  Then make your own choices.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
replacing
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5103]