| Germs on Campus: And What to Do About Them |
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Germs are not the enemy. They are essential to our survival. We host billions of bacteria inside and outside our bodies that help to keep us healthy. In addition, microbes consume organic matter; without them, Earth would be buried in biowaste, and life as we know it would cease. |
| Still, wherever possible, we should reduce, remove or destroy harmful germs or pathogens before they pose a health threat or reach an “infectious dose” level. |
| Understanding Infectious Dose |
| Infectious Dose is the number of pathogenic germs entering the body that are needed to make a person sick. This varies from person to person, based on genetics, immune system status and other factors. |
| Finding Pathogen “Petri Dishes” |
| There can be many pathogen “petri dish” places on campus, locations with enough moisture, warmth and a food source to grow abundant germs. |
| Start with Hands and Touch Points |
| Warm, normally-moist hands invariably touch contaminated spots – and when unwashed – harbor and grow germs, then transfer them to touch points, or, worse, directly to eyes, nose or mouth. Touch points include door handles, sink handles, desktops, shared computer or tablet surfaces, dorm refrigerator handles, TV remote controls and other contact spots. The sink is often more contaminated than the toilet seat. This is because moisture and food are abundant on sinks that stay warm inside conditioned buildings. People also touch sink surfaces more than they do toilet seats. |
| Communal showers are germ zones as they are warm, moist, and loaded with body oils, skin flakes and fungal spores like those that cause Athlete’s foot. Gym and wrestling mats are exposed to sweat, hot athletic bodies, and sloughed off skin cells, providing excellent growth media for MRSA. |
| Remove Germs |
| Good personal hygiene involves washing hands with soap and water, then drying hands thoroughly. Applying the principle to facility hygiene, cleaning is the first line of defense, as removing germs is better than killing them. |
| When to Use Chemistry |
| EPA-registered disinfectants are necessary at times, but are only effective when used as directed, with the proper pre-cleaning and dwell time. |
| Removal Approaches |
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A squeegee – apply solution directly to the surface using a course sprayer or heavily-moistened microfiber pad on a hand trowel. Squeegee off the moisture, carrying away soil and germs. |
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Spray-and-vacuum units apply cleaning solution under moderate pressure, enable agitation, then vacuum the liquid along with germs, leaving the surface virtually dry. |
| Better Ways to Disinfect |
| Besides EPA-registered chemicals, other approaches deserve serious consideration as part of a germ-control toolkit: |
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UV-C wands apply ultraviolet light to surfaces killing many germs. |
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Dry Steam Vapor Units apply hot “dry” penetrating steam vapor to surfaces using insulated tools, and offer a four-way benefit – 1. deep clean even porous surfaces on contact with low-pressure, penetrating steam, 2. are chemical-free and use only tap water, 3. disinfect in seconds not minutes and kill a wide range of pathogens with almost zero dwell time, 4. leave surfaces dry to the touch. |
| Counting the Cost |
| Chemical interventions, while having a low upfront cost, can be expensive over time, especially when used needlessly. In addition, there is the human cost of exposures or reactions to chemicals which must be weighed against the efficacy of applied chemicals for reducing environmental pathogens, versus alternative methods for doing this. Technology such as Spray-and-Vac, UV-C and Dry Steam Vapor may carry greater upfront costs but offer ROI in terms of fewer consumables and chemicals used. |
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| Humans shed 40 pounds of skin in their lifetime, completely replacing their outer skin every month. |
| A full head of human hair is strong enough to support 12 tonnes. |
| For every pound of fat or muscle gained, your body creates seven miles of new blood vessels. |
| In one day, your blood travels 12,000 miles around your body. That's four times the distance across the US from coast-to-coast. |
| With the 60,000 miles of blood vessels inside the average human body, you could circumnavigate earth two and a half times. |
Source:
http://www.distractify.com/old-school/2014/07/20/amazing-facts-about-the-human-body-1197776387 |
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