Is it true that the accepted maximum number of allowable bacteria for the sample to be safe is 100, 000 colonies/ml?

[mikiwameru]

What does "safe" mean here? Does it mean that if you get less than 100, 000/ml then the object you swabbed does not pose any threat to health? and if you get more than 100, 000/ml then touching that object can cause illness?

[JorgeLobo]

Here? Safe in what context? Numbers usually mean little - it's the species that determine risk. Injectable drugs should be sterile - raw hamburger has no bacterial count standard and includes 10E6/gram or more bacteria.