The rules of engagement for germ “warfare”

By Staff
Special to the Enquirer
Just when you think you’ve employed your antiseptic wipes against every conceivable pathogenic target, the media turns up an even more frightening one.
Recently, ABC’s Good Morning America reported on the discovery several years ago that shopping carts are chock-full of germs — yet another sobering reminder that harmful pathogens can lurk virtually anywhere under the right conditions. Research conducted in 1999 by University of Arizona researcher Chuck Gerba revealed that shopping carts rank just below playground equipment and bus rails as the filthiest of surfaces — teeming with saliva, bacteria and even fecal matter. Add to that the fact that virtually every toddler in America at some point teethes on shopping cart handles.
Unfortunately, carts are only the beginning of our worries, according to Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food safety specialist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science. Other germ-ridden surfaces include keyboards, telephones and other frequently accessed surfaces — frankly, anywhere that moisture, a major contributor to contamination, is likely to be found. The important thing to remember about germs is that they are going to grow wherever there is moisture and food.
Fortunately for our sake, there are a few simple precautions we can follow to reduce our levels of exposure to these surface germs.
First, while children are most often the target of admonitions to keep unwashed fingers out of mouths, noses and ears, this is advice that is as valid for adults as it is for curious toddlers. Indeed, while it may strike many of us grownups as simplistic, one of the most effective safeguards against exposure to harmful pathogens is merely to avoid hand-to-mouth contact throughout the day.
Second, don’t just limit hand washing to lunch and dinner. The rule of thumb should be to wash your hands whenever you suspect you’ve come into contact with contaminated surfaces, which could be anywhere and on anything.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics. Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.
Remember that effective washing involves more than just one or two passes of the hands under a running faucet. Instead, use warm water and add soap, then rub your hands briskly to make a lather, washing the front and back of the hands, between the fingers, around the thumbs and wrists and under the nails, for at least 20 seconds.
This routine should be repeated several times daily.
Antiseptic wipes are effective cleaning agents, too, especially in caring for small kids. Just make sure that the solution remains on the hands for a least a couple of minutes; otherwise, it’s largely ineffective.
Weese gained a deeper insight into this problem after conducting her own investigations of surface contamination for a local television station, investigating everything from an automatic teller to crosswalk buttons.
One of her biggest surprises came at a restaurant, which routinely cleaned tabletops with a dirty wash cloth instead of a sanitizing solution. Weese’s bacteria count revealed these surfaces were as dirty as the toilet seats in the restaurant’s men’s room. This fact underscores another valuable lesson about hygiene: that just because something is cleaned doesn’t make it sanitary.
For example, a moist cleaning cloth often can be as contaminated as dirty fingers. As a general rule, sanitizing solutions applied to surfaces should include a chlorine base, otherwise, cleanliness simply can’t be guaranteed. A good rule of thumb is to keep a spray bottle of 1 T of chlorine bleach per quart of water, near surfaces known to need regular sanitizing. This would include the kitchen and bathroom areas of the house, in addition to a toy or tool box or the phone.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability. Emily Russell Campbell is Regional Extension Agent for Food Safety, Preparation, and Preservation.