Part III b): Soap and the antimicrobial solution

Why are bar soaps still in popular demand? What is so special about antimicrobial hand soap? And why disease outbreaks are still occurring even when hand sanitizer dispensers are widely available? Are non-alcohol hand sanitizers really safer than alcohol ones?

This is the post to read to get some answers Continue Reading »

This is the time of the year the kids bring back home contagious illnesses they caught who knows where and from. Soon the siblings get sick as well, and we have to take time off from work. Schools and classmates are the usual suspects, but chances are hand hygiene negligence played the most part. To reduce the incidence of pathogens we are stocking antimicrobial products in our home cabinets, a behavior that is not without incidence on health, safety and the environment. In a three part series, I intent to address the issues surrounding this controversial topic, starting with revisiting the roots of poor hand hygiene, then sorting out some “staggering” evidence and finally offering some sound solutions that everyone – including schools and your work place – can easily adopt while keeping toxic products at bay and lowering our carbon footprint.

Part 2 – Our immune system is up against a steep hill. Continue Reading »

This is the time of the year the kids bring back home contagious illnesses they caught who knows where and from. Soon the siblings get sick as well, and we have to take time off from work. Schools and classmates are the usual suspects, but chances are hand hygiene negligence played the most part. To reduce the incidence of pathogens we are stocking antimicrobial products in our home cabinets, a behavior that is not without incidence on health, safety and the environment. In a three part series, I intent to address the issues surrounding this controversial topic, starting with revisiting the roots of poor hand hygiene, then sorting out some “staggering” evidence and finally offering some sound solutions that everyone – including schools and your work place – can easily adopt while keeping toxic products at bay and lowering our carbon footprint.

Part 1 – Is catching a contagious illness an ineluctable outcome of social life?
Continue Reading »