With temperatures flying into the 80s and 90s, humidity creeping oppressively upward, and the sun flexing its muscles as it beats down relentlessly, there is no question that summer has arrived in earnest. While the Fourth of July has come and gone, there are still a lot of warm days left for those who love summer to enjoy.

And what better place to while away a summer day than the beach?

Although I live in a seacoast town and consider myself pretty well versed in potential seaside snafus such as sunburns and riptides, a recent Fox News article discussing so-called “beach bummers” caught my eye.

Most interesting to me is that media coverage of these potential dangers is minimal when compared to sun exposure and shark attacks … and contemplation of who the intended audience is.

Anyway, here are five beach dangers that might have slipped past you.

1. Food Poisoning

A bacterium called staphylococcus rapidly grows on mayonnaise, for example, that’s been left in the heat for too long. In an hour, this bacterium can attack your food and within four hours, it can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, according to Dr. David A. Farcy, director of Emergency Department Critical Care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, Florida. To ensure your snacks and meals are safe, bring your food in a well-insulated cooler and pack plenty of ice.

I have a tendency to just avoid anything with mayonnaise on general principle when picnicking for a day. It just doesn’t seem worth the risk.

I had salmonella poisoning once, so I’m actually kind of paranoid about this, but sometimes the little things slip by you.

My younger daughter, a notoriously picky eater, had a summer camp field trip one day last week, and I sent her with a pizza Lunchable (and by confessing that am effectively removing my candidacy for mother …

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