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Washing chicken before you cook it may actually increase your risk of foodborne illness, experts say.

Washing chicken can spread bacteria onto your hands as well as onto kitchen counters and sinks.

Using soap or antibacterial solutions on chicken won’t reduce the risk of illness.

Experts say cooking chicken thoroughly will kill bacteria.

You shouldn’t wash raw chicken before you cook it.

That’s what experts are saying after a new consumer study was released from North Carolina State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In it, researchers say that washing chicken actually increases the risk of contamination and foodborne illnesses.

“Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe,” the USDA’s “Ask Karen” team told Healthline. “However, some of the bacteria are so tightly attached that you could not remove them no matter how many times you washed.”

Other bacteria strains will rinse off, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Raw chicken almost always contains Campylobacter , a bacteria strain that causes diarrhea, fever, and cramping. The meat also may contain Salmonella , Clostridium perfringens , and other bacteria.

“The splashing of water, holding the chicken in your hands, and even the juices running through the sink all create this heightened risk [of contamination and illness],” Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, author of “Skinny Liver” and manager of wellness nutrition services at Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, told Healthline.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , 1 in 6 people in the United States becomes ill from improperly prepared food every year.

Reducing your risk means cooking without washing.