Identify each statement below as an example of science or pseudoscience. If food dropped on the floor is picked up within 5 seconds, it is okay to eat.

The “5-second rule” is not a reliable scientific rule: germs can transfer to food as soon as it touches a contaminated surface. How much contamination occurs depends on factors such as the surface and the food, so picking food up within five seconds does not make it automatically safe. The statement is pseudoscience.

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