Germ Warfare
We're obsessed with cleanliness—but now the bugs are fighting back.
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YahooLast year, Americans spent $7.3 billion on cleaning products and $2.4 billion on soap. Antibacterial chemical sales are expected to reach $930 million in 2009.
In 1993, there were only a few dozen antibacterial consumer products. Today there are more than 9,000, with 2,753 new ones introduced in 2007.
The US market for hand sanitizers has grown 200% since 2002. Purell controls more than half of the $164 million industry.
In 2005, an fda advisory panel concluded that antibacterial soap is no better than regular soap for preventing infection.
In the face of vigorous soap industry lobbying, the fda has yet to rule on whether these products contribute to antibacterial resistance.
Purell's Force Sanitizer Military Bottle is sold to GIs as "a fistful of protection in the war on germs."
Triclosan, the active ingredient in many antimicrobial soaps, has been detected in women's breast milk and 58% of US waterways.
In 2006, a Maryland prisoner was hospitalized for becoming "loony," "red-eyed," and "combative" after swigging from a gallon of 120-proof Purell.
Poison centers counted 9,600 kids under 6 who ingested ethanol-based hand sanitizer in 2006, a 24% increase over 2005.
Classy Kid hand sanitizer comes in 3 scents: Juicy Melon, Bubble Berry Bonanza, and Awesome Apple.
The Giant Microbes line of dolls includes stuffed versions of E. coli, hiv, Ebola, and plague.
Australian doctors have treated kids' eczema by giving them "dirt pills" containing good bacteria.
A 2007 study found that adults who regularly use household cleaning sprays are 30-50% more likely to develop asthma.
A California biotech company sells hypoallergenic kittens. Starting price: $7,950.
1/3 of Americans say they should wash their hands more often.
Sean "Diddy" Combs requires concert promoters to provide him with 20 bars of soap (preferably antibacterial Lever 2000).
Star magazine claims that Gwyneth Paltrow brings her own hairbrush to salons and never uses public restrooms; the actress' flack denies she's a germaphobe.
The nephew of hair care mogul Vidal Sassoon has invented a gadget that sprays a doorknob with disinfectant every 15 minutes.
8% of Americans flush public toilets with their feet. 14% avoid them altogether.
Nearly all Americans claim they wash their hands after using public restrooms, but researchers have observed that 12% of women and 34% of men do not.
An analysis by a Pakistani economist finds that it is "inefficient" for men to put down the toilet seat. Yet he also concludes that being yelled at for not doing so is worse.
Charles "Dr. Germ" Gerba, America's most widely cited public hygiene expert, gave his son the middle name Escherichia—the E in E. coli.
Last winter, a Rhode Island hotel's "Germaphobe's Dream" package included a microbe-killing ultraviolet wand and a copy of The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu.
In 2004, a Catholic diocese in New Jersey told churchgoers not to shake hands during flu season.
The Purity 400 Host Dispenser issues Communion wafers "never touched by a human hand."
Double-dipping a chip transfers 10,000 bacteria to the dip.
Forget the "5-second rule"—food dropped on the floor can pick up salmonella bacteria in just a few seconds.
A dermatologist told the New York Times that dirty exercise mats may have caused an uptick in skin infections among women who do yoga and Pilates.
Pediatricians prescribe antibiotics to more than 50% of kids who complain of sore throats.
The Lancet reports that American doctors order antibiotics for 80% of patients with sinus infections—usually caused by the cold virus.
After the 2001 anthrax scare, 4% of Americans said they obtained prescription antibiotics.
Penicillin-resistant microbes first appeared in 1947, 4 years after the drug was released. The antibiotic was sold over the counter until the mid-1950s.
In 1974, 2% of staph infections were resistant to antibiotics; today, more than 60% are.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) infects nearly 95,000 Americans annually and kills more than 18,500.
85% of mrsa infections are linked to health care facilities.
Fewer than 50% of health care workers regularly wash their hands while on the job.
A sampling of New York doctors' ties found staph on 1/3 of them.
Infectious Awareables sells silk ties with a staph design in gray, taupe, or burgundy for $39.95.
The Soap and Detergent Association claims 44% of people wash their hands after handling money.
Donald Trump says he didn't run for president in 2000 because "I had to shake too many hands."
New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who holds a world record for handshaking (13,392 in 8 hours), never uses hand sanitizer: "You're going to collect bacteria just by existing."
Related articles: Exhibit Sources, Dollars and Scents
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I'm confused. In one paragraph, you warn about the dangers of alcohol hand sanitizer, and in the next, you are seemingly promoting an alcohol-based hand sanitizer targeting kids (ClassyKids is 62% alcohol--mix it with a coca-cola and you've got a 120 proof cocktail.
Aside, that product is packed full of fragrances--not something
There ARE alcohol-free, fragrance free, rinse free hand sanitizers--that are equally, if not more effective when compared to products such as Purell or ClassyKid...and obviously, safer for kids..Brands include Soapopular (endorsed by Parent Magazine, Oxygen Magazine, and many others), Hy5, and a few more..but Soapopular... more at www.handhygienefacts.blogspot.com... Soapopular can be found at WalMart Supercenters, as well as 3000 other retail locations..and online at www.soapyusa.com
It is estimated that 500 to 1000 species of bacteria live in the human body (recent assays are pushing this figure up quite a bit.) Bacterial cells are much smaller than human cells, and there are at least ten times as many bacteria as human cells in the body (approximately 100 000 000 000 000 versus 10 000 000 000 000 versus).
The world is a system, and we are a part of it. If the human flora all departed from our bodies, we would die instantly, much the same as the loss of some other vital organ. So what is 'us' and what is 'them'?
it is known that it is the overclean industrial process of food creates the mortal amount of e-coli of samonella: a cheese made in bacteria-full environment (i.e. the old way) cannot be mortal if contaminated with a potentially mortal strain, because of its bacterial demography. The over sanitized one will be deadly if contaminated.
Our body, our environment works the same way...
the most treacherous parasites are lawyers / judges / arbitrators . THE BAR insists that it alone can regulate lawyer deceit and collusion ------ PAY TO PLAY ---------- Since THE BAR has been inept and produced GOV.BLAGO / RYAN / WALKER / SPIRO AGNEW / boy george bush flunkies MUKASEY / ASHCROFT / CHERNOFF / LIBBY / GONZALEZ .................. Plus ex-judges JAY SPECHLER . ROBERT LANCE ANDREWS , Thomas Spargo , Otto Kerner and legions of other lawyer cockaroaches ....... time to polygraph and drug test lawyers / judges and place cameras in chambers .
The first comment seems to be a soap salesperson. The last makes no sense. The second comment is absolutely beautiful. We earned our right to exist on this planet only because microorganisms let us do so. If you took bacteria totally out of the equation, we would not exist. They were here long before we were and will continue to exist long after we have departed this world. Every creature on the planet fills its niche, they fit into a system, and we cannot upset that very careful balance by applying hand sanitizer until we're blue in the face. Unfortunately, I believe that people will be applying it to themselves even after they've gotten to the point where they must exist in little sealed bubbles.
For some reason this page on "Germ Warfare" is so badly written-over, it looks as if you've sandwiched two pages together. So the result is extremely difficult to read. Would you please fix it?
Thank you!
Luise Perenne BFA
Chaos Limited ("But Not Very!")
Get This One People! I Know Some People Who Went Around The United States And Was Selling Healing Water!? The Water That Went Around Causes Problems After One Day. Because It Goes Bad! I Believe That The Problem It Caused Was Shingles! Dont Know For Sure, But I Saw What Happened And I Was Also A Victom. The Culprits Come From Los Angeles, And From Desert! Can You Emagine That? Healing Water. I Hold The Evidence. I am Waiting To See What Has Come Out State Wide. Criminal Lawyer James R. Brown Is Aware. Come On People, The ones I Call Criminals! You Know Who You Are!? Im Waiting For You. UCC1-207.9 (Without Predjudice).Brenda Dickie. sbrendasara48@yahoo.com. 1-909-709-7531.
During my housekeeper days I busted a couple coworkers huffing air freshener in the closet. There is a whole consumer group out there that is ripe for the tapping.
The solution to germs is this clean your house every day. Do the dishes every night sleep with your window open to air out the house and when you wash the floor put the dirty water down the toilet. Once a month put a bucket of warm soapy water down the toilet to avoid a build up of toxic chemical waste and let the rain wash in into the rivers where it will be cleaned and turned into sand to libne the bottom of the rivers and oceans.
Put your food scraps into the compost bin. Recycle your rubbish by putting it into the relevant bins outside for collection.
Wash your hands when you go to the toilet and shower every morning or night or both if you feel the need.
DO NOT USE BLEACH.
