[email protected]

In a message dated 8/21/2004 5:57:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
Sorry Sandra, but I'm still going to use antibacterial hand soap after
using the toilet, changing a poopy diaper, handling raw meat or poultry,
taking a subway, etc. Am I leading the human race to a problem with
resistant bacteria?

-Vijay
********************
I took Microbiology is college (I got a C and was, for the first time ever,
pleased with a grade because I KNEW I earned it. It was a tough class and
comparatively a C there would have been equal to an A in any other class - not that
it matters a whit) Anyhoo, I took Microbiology in college and we studied
sanitary habits, hand washing and Anti-bacterial soaps in detail. It's the ACTION
of handwashing, the running water, that removes bacteria. Soap acts simply as
a "lifter" of dirt. One can have a very similar effect just from rinsing and
rubbing.
So anti-bacterial soap is kinda like overkill (pardon the pun). The
anti-bacterial properties don't make too much difference since it doesn't stay on your
hands long enough to be effective. The only way that true anti-bacterial
effects are seen is through high heat sterilization.
I don't think I will ever put my hands into an autoclave for 30 minutes.
Elissa Jill
Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you;
They're supposed to help you discover who you are.
~Bernice Johnson Reagon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]