This simple health precaution could not be more important

A few years ago I came across a simple little study that I think back on all the time. And although there wasn’t much to it, I believe it might have helped me avoid more colds and bouts with the flu over the years than I can even imagine.

In the study, researchers in London went around the city collecting bacteria samples from places people touch: door handles, hand rails, bathroom fixtures, etc.

They found that the one spot, above all, that was most loaded with the nastiest germs was the keypad buttons on ATMs.

Since then, I don’t believe I’ve ever used an ATM without thinking of that study. And needless to say, I also wash my hands as soon as possible right after.

I thought about that study again this week when I came across new research about handwashing. That might seem like a bit of a lightweight subject to devote investigative time and effort. But not so. Handwashing is an enormous health issue.

First of all, handwashing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of influenza and colds. Nothing else comes close. The flu vaccine? Small potatoes compared to handwashing. Keep your hands clean during the wintertime and you’ll have a healthier flu season.

Secondly, handwashing in hospitals — by medical personnel and visitors — is essential to curbing spread of all levels of bacteria, right up to the antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

And third, handwashing in food preparation areas provides a crucial level of protection.

Like the London bacteria research, this new study is pretty simple too. Rutgers University researchers loaded up the hands of 21 volunteers with harmless bacteria and asked them to wash their hands. This was repeated several times over six months, using water temperatures that ranged from 60 degrees to 100.

They chose 100 degrees as the upper range because that’s the temperature suggested by the FDA for food preparation.

To the Rutgers team’s surprise, the temperature of the water had no impact on handwashing effectiveness. Both hot and cold water wiped out bacteria and cleaned hands effectively.

What mattered far more was the length of time spent lathering up. They found that anything less than 10 seconds was just not getting hands clean.

A mere 10 seconds doesn’t sound like much, but the next time I washed my hands after reading about this study I realized I seldom spend 10 full seconds lathering.

That is, I didn’t before I read the study. I do now. It’s just too easy and too important.

This study also has energy-saving implications. The researchers intend to submit their results to the FDA in advance of a 2018 revision of agency guidelines for food prep handwashing.

The researchers believe that enormous levels of energy could be saved yearly if restaurant employees simply washed with water temperatures at a comfortable level as opposed to the 100 degrees that the FDA recommends right now.

 

SOURCE

https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/ru-hcw053017.php

Handwashing: Cool water as effective as hot for removing germs

Rutgers University

May 30, 2017