Reported July 2009

WHAT WORKS: Almost nothing works better at getting rid of disease-causing viruses than simply washing one's hands with old-fashioned soap and water. Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied how effective 14 different hand hygiene agents performed in reducing bacteria and viruses from the hands after a 10 second exposure. Previous studies had participants clean their hands for 30 seconds, even though most people, including busy health care personnel, don't spend that much time washing up. Subjects first cleaned their hands, which were then exposed to a harmless bacterium and a virus comparable to disease-causing organisms. Then the subjects cleaned their hands with various agents, after which the scientists measured how much of the bacteria and virus remained. Among the viruses studied is one that causes the common cold, along with viruses that cause hepatitis A, acute gastroenteritis, and other illnesses. The study showed that after a short exposure time of 10 seconds, nearly all the hand hygiene products reduced 90 percent of bacteria on the hands. Waterless alcohol-based hand wipes only removed about 50 percent of bacteria from the subjects' hands.

HOW ANTIBIOTICS WORK: Infections are caused by single-celled organisms called bacteria, which can sometimes evade the body's immune system and begin reproducing. Antibiotics kill those harmful bacteria in various ways, such as preventing a bacterium from turning glucose into energy, or preventing it from constructing a cell wall. The bacteria die instead of reproducing. Antibiotics are like selective poisons, because they target bacteria and not the body's own cells. They are not effective against viruses, however.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Tammy Powell
Beaumont, TX 77705
(409) 840-9801
tpowell@theinvisiblearmor.net

American Industrial Hygiene Association
Melissa Hurley
(703) 846-0740
http://www.aiha.org
mhurley@aiha.org

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