PLANTING cress and growing yoghurt may once have been common pursuits of budding scientists, but today’s children are being encouraged to grow potentially dangerous bugs.

As scientists cry out for children to be inspired by microbiology and physics, the sixth edition of the Horrible Science magazine, entitled Hidden Horrors in the Home, seems to have gone a step too far.

The free petri dish is perhaps the giveaway. Under the Loony Lab pages, a cartoon describes how children can “Grow your own manky microbes” by gathering germs with a cotton bud from a coin, a lavatory handle, a dog’s ear or the mouth.

On a dish of agar jelly, readers are encouraged to spread the germs and watch them grow. “After a couple of days you should see creepy colonies of microbes growing on the jelly in the places where you smeared,” the magazine promises.

What it does not reveal is that among the microbes may lurk the potentially deadly strain of the E. coli bacterium 0157.

Parents and scientists have reacted in horror to the homegrown experiments that could cause serious illness. John Grainger, chairman of the microbiology in schools advisory committee, said: “Getting children interested in microbiology is one thing, but here we have a practical activity that is hazardous and offends all the principles of safe practice in schools.”

Teachers are nervous of promoting practical microbiology because they consider it unsafe. However, while schools are urged to use only safe organisms, they also contain the bacteria and the experiments must be thrown away safely. “There are safe strains of E. coli which are allowed in schools, given good practice. But in this case, there is a danger the 0157 could be among them,” Dr Grainger said.

The 0157 E. coli strain appeared in Britain in the 1980s. Fewer than 100 of the tiny organisms can cause illness. In 1996, 20 people died after attending a church lunch in Wishaw, Strathclyde.

Ceri-Anne Jones lives in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, and had bought the twice-monthly magazine for her son, Joshua, 11. She was wary after parents of one child had caused an explosion on incorrectly mixing the ingredients for slime, given in a previous edition. “It wouldn’t be done at school because it’s not safe enough, so if it’s being done at home, it could be really dangerous,” she said.

Peter Borrows, of Cleapss, which advises local authorities about practising safe science in schools, said that parents should seal the dish with sticky tape, throw it away in a black bag and wash their hands.

“The only way to destroy the microorganisms on these plates is to heat it at 120C (248F) in steam under pressure — impossible unless you have a pressure cooker,” he said.

Eaglemoss Publications said in a statement yesterday: “The purpose of our magazine and the experiment is to excite and enthuse children about science and its relevance to their everyday lives and surroundings. However, we would never wish to risk any harm to our readers and will, in future, be broadening our consultations on the featured experiments.

“In response to the concerns raised, we will be publishing additional safety advice on this particular experiment in the next addition of the magazine and this will be immediately added to our website.”

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