I read your article on uncooked or under-cooked eggs. However, I remember hearing that salmonella contamination comes from the egg shells. Two questions: 1. Is that true, or can the salmonella be inside the egg? 2. If it is true, can't salmonella poisoning be avoided by simply washing the eggs?

 Again, the incidence of salmonella contamination from eggs is very rare – much less a concern than unwashed vegetables.

But, according to researchers, salmonella in an infected egg may be anywhere. It is most likely on the shell. If it occurs inside the egg, it is almost certainly in the yolk. But according to the US Department of Agriculture, researchers "can't rule out the bacteria being in egg whites," so the department advises everyone against eating "raw or undercooked egg yolks and whites or products containing raw or undercooked eggs."

Various government agencies inside and outside the USDA have set a goal of eradicating salmonella illness by 2010.

Eggs are washed and sanitized at the plant where they are processed, so washing them at home isn't going to make them any safer.

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