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 [...]
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 [...]
Germs in your wallet can make you sick
Posted on 25. Mar, 2012 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, health & safety
Germ on money may be making unwary Aussies sick – some notes are more than six times filthier than a public lavatory. But don’t think swapping it for plastic will magically make the germs disappear. A Public Defender investigation of 10 Melbourne shoppers’ wallets found cash and credit cards could be potential hotbeds for bacteria. In the worst example, a $10 note recorded a contamination count of 63,556 – that’s 6.4 times higher than the average count from similar tests on public lavatory seats throughout the city. A reading below 500 is considered acceptable. Credit and debit cards were generally [...]
Australian frogs could stop superbugs
Posted on 21. Mar, 2012 by aqiumlogin in health & safety
Australian frogs could help scientists in the global fight against hospital superbugs. Certain species of Australian frogs secrete chemicals which are toxic to different bacteria, including the sometimes-fatal MRSA strain which is resistant to multiple types of antibiotics, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Saturday. Scientists in Sydney and Melbourne are researching the secretions of several frogs, including the green-eyed tree frog and the golden bell frog, the paper said. Antimicrobial compounds called peptides that are emitted from some frogs could be used to destroy the membranes of bacteria and stop them developing resistance. Usually, antimicrobial peptides killed bacteria by puncturing [...]
Australian study: Flu sickies still turn up to work
Posted on 16. Mar, 2012 by aqiumlogin in at work, cold and flu
It’s the bane of every workplace. The colleague who sniffles, sneezes and snorts through the work day, spreading insidious germs around the office. Sound repulsive? Well we’ve almost all done it. According to a survey released on Thursday to coincide with the beginning of the flu vaccination season, nine in 10 Australians admit to turning up to work sick. Most of the time they battle on in the office because they don’t want to let their colleagues down or miss deadlines, according to the survey by the Influenza Specialist Group (ISG). One in five sick workers also believes flu symptoms [...]
Brit Olympic Hopefuls Told Not To Shake Hands
Posted on 07. Mar, 2012 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, health & safety
Aussie athletes say they will continue to shake hands at the London Olympics despite British warnings it will spread disease. It would be considered bad sportsmanship to not shake hands but hopefully our athletes will practice good hand hygiene with regular hand washing/sanitising. British athletes are being advised not to shake hands in case they catch a bug, which wrecks their Olympic dreams. The warning has come from Dr Ian McCurdie, the British Olympic Association’s (BOA’s) chief medical officer. He says athletes could easily pick up a harmful virus in the “quite stressful environment” of the Games. Asked whether this [...]
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 [...]
Petrol pump handles a breeding ground for bacteria & viruses
Posted on 23. Feb, 2012 by aqiumlogin in health & safety
Refuelling your car could be making you sick – and not because of the expense. A cleaning products manufacturer says fuel nozzle handles are fertile breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses – worse than mailboxes, escalator rails, parking meters and traffic light pedestrian buttons. Infectious diseases expert Flavia Huygens, an associate professor at the Queensland University of Technology, warned fuel pump handles could harbour a dangerous superbug, the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). “Another study in Japan on public transport in trains isolated and identified MRSA. It’s pretty dangerous because it’s highly resistant to antibiotic therapy,” she said. Ms Huygens said [...]
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 [...]
Just How ‘Germy’ Is A Kiss?
Posted on 08. Feb, 2012 by aqiumlogin in health & safety
Kissing is a universal sign of amorous affection. We wait for that first-kiss moment in romantic films, stumble through uncomfortable teenage make-out sessions and spy those PDA-friendly couples (you know the type). But have you ever thought about what kissing means beyond the obvious pleasures? Just how “germy” is a kiss — and are those germs good or bad for us? (After all, mononucleosis is referred to as the “kissing disease” and most of us would likely prefer to avoid getting it.) Since our bodies are made up of 10 times more bacteria than actual human cells, it’s no surprise [...]
