If these hand sanitizers truly are the be all and end all as some believe, how it is that we got along without them just fine all these years?
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5 comments:
Maybe you're forgetting about plague and pestilence? Hygiene goes a long way to keep people healthy, but it's easy to forget that in the modern-day first world. Remember, in many places with worse hygiene women still die in childbirth and the common cold/flu can be deadly.
I haven't forgotten, but there's no data -- or even anecdotal evidence -- to indicate these particular products have done anything to make people "healthier."
They actually say that hand sanitizers are bad because they keep you from building up immunity to diseases. In the end it will probably be what ends us.
I read your post and then put on some aloe Purell at my desk
There's aNY Times article that explores a few hand sanitizer studies. It seems that the 60% alcohol-based sanitizers have beneficial effects in reducing gastrointestinal illnesses in households, absentee rates in elementary schools, and illnesses in university dormitories. Overall, while they may not be any more effective than soap and water, their ease and availability can increase proper hygiene habits. here's the NY Times article - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15well.html?_r=1
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