Garlic fights bacteria
Posted on 15. May, 2012 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, family, health & safety
You may not like the smell, but garlic, that bulbous culinary delight has another potentially potent gift in its arsenal – the ability to fight certain bacteria. With germs becoming increasingly resistant to the antibiotics we routinely use to fight them, scientists are searching widely for new tools to beat them with – and one of them may turn out to be the humble clove of garlic. Washington State University researchers say they’ve discovered that a compound in garlic, known as diallyl sulphide, is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting one of the most common causes of [...]
Bacteria thrive in the ‘go green’ age
Posted on 24. Apr, 2012 by aqiumlogin in family, health & safety
Trying to save the environment is having an impact none of us can see — the germs are loving it. Shunning paper towels and adopting green bags, low-impact household chemicals and cold wash cycles is leaving us awash with bacteria, with tests showing “clean” clothes now contain more germs than those worn by our grandparents. It is also technically safer to make a sandwich on a toilet seat than the average cutting board, such is the amount of bacteria on kitchen surfaces from preparing raw meat. US infection control expert Charles Gerba said debate about exposure to dirt being useful [...]
Scientists create reference guide for harmful germs in sand
Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by aqiumlogin in family, health & safety, mother and baby
On warm days, the beach seems an ideal destination for family rest and relaxation. Who hasn’t built a sand castle or been buried up to the neck in sand? However, that family fun has a dark side — sand can harbor illness-causing microbes. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines for sand quality at recreational sites. Now, environmental scientists at the University of Miami (UM) and at Northern Illinois University have created a reference guide for potentially harmful germs in sand, similar to the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for marine water. The report is published in the American [...]
Humans are a major source of indoor bacteria
Posted on 11. Apr, 2012 by aqiumlogin in family, health & safety
You are a big bag of germs. And just by walking into a room, you add 37 million bacteria to the air for every hour you remain there. At least, that’s what researchers at UC Berkeley and Yale University have discovered about the presence of a person in a room. “We live in this microbial soup, and a big ingredient is our own microorganisms,” said Jordan Peccia, associate professor of environmental engineering at Yale and principal investigator of the study, which was published in the most recent edition of the journal Indoor Air. “Mostly, people are re-suspending what’s been deposited before,” he [...]
1 IN 3* AUSSIE HOMES UNPREPARED FOR GERMS THIS WINTER
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by aqiumlogin in family, health & safety
New survey challenges Aussie parents to review cleaning and hand hygiene practices One in three* Aussie parents admit they need to improve their efforts to keep germs at bay during the colder months, yet the new Germwatch survey released recently reveals that 81%* of Aussies are missing a vital step in protecting their families by failing to always wash their hands when they get home from being outdoors or in public. The Germwatch survey was commissioned by the Dettol, Glen 20 and Pine O Cleen brands to uncover the truth about the cleaning and hygiene habits of Aussie parents, and [...]
Reusable Bags Can Be a Breeding Ground For Bacteria
Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, family, health & safety
We feel like we are doing the right thing when we use recyclable bags instead of plastic bags for our supermarket shopping. But we could actually be making ourselves ill if we don’t regularly wash them. Green shopping bags might be a great help for the environment but they’re not so kind on your body. Researchers at the University of Arizona in the US collected 87 reusable bags from randomly selected grocery shoppers and tested each for microorganisms. Nearly all of the bags contained some form of bacteria. Ew. Published in the latest issue of the International Association for Food Protection’s [...]
Harboring Hidden Germs? What to Keep, What to Toss
Posted on 16. Feb, 2012 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, family, health & safety
Just because it looks clean doesn’t mean it’s free of bacteria, allergens or worse. From sponges to pillows to toothbrushes, here’s what you should throw out and when. In the Bedroom: Pillow Stash it, but wash and cover it. Your head propper piles up gross sweat, drool, dander and dust mites. But instead of throwing it away, invest in a washable allergy case, which blocks mites and their leftovers, advises Amy Newburger, M.D., a dermatologist in Scarsdale, New York. Wash pillows every few months and change linens weekly, and you can rest easy. In the Bedroom: Mattress Trash it every [...]
Bacteria swimming in Melbourne’s beaches
Posted on 19. Jan, 2012 by aqiumlogin in family, health & safety
Why does it always seem when we need them the most our beaches are swimming more with bacteria than people? BACTERIA counts rose to their highest levels for the season across Bayside and Kingston beaches last week, with the EPA declaring several beaches unsafe for swimming. Environment Protection Authority samples showed poor water quality across many beaches, with bacteria levels higher than the 400 organisms per 100ml of water benchmark deemed safe for swimming. EPA spokeswoman Tanya O’Shea said last week’s rainfall caused the spike. “This is due to run-off from rainfall and stormwater, which deposits litter, debris and even [...]
Everyday items can be the germiest
Posted on 15. Jan, 2012 by aqiumlogin in at work, family, health & safety
From telephones to doorknobs to books, germs can get on anything and spread quicker than a sneeze. The bad news is that some of the most common items can be the nastiest when it comes to germs. The good news is there are ways to reduce continually spreading those germs and thus reducing the likelihood of illness. “You’re not going to prevent spreading (germs),” said Don Roush, a microbiologist at the University of North Alabama. “What we need to do is to try and keep the number (of germs) on your hands down. That’s the best way to keep from [...]
Flush With Germs: Lidless Toilets Spread Bacteria
Posted on 05. Jan, 2012 by aqiumlogin in family, health & safety
The message is pretty simple – put the lid down when you flush and help prevent germs invading your bathroom. Put a lid on it. That is the conclusion of research examining the amount of Clostridium difficile that flies into the air and contaminates surrounding surfaces with the flush of a lidless toilet. The investigation, published online December 2 in the International Journal of Hospital Infection, is the work of E. L. Best from the Microbiology Department, Old Medical School, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds Teaching Hospital National Health Service Trust, United Kingdom, and colleagues. Using fecal suspensions of C difficile, the researchers measured airborne suspension of [...]
