There was a long line in the women's room in the cafeteria today (okay, every lunch time). Quite a number of women vacating a stall left the bathrooms without washing their hands. I was pretty grossed out, I mean they are using the doorknobs and keyboards in the labs and what not.
A bit of research turns up that the US Center for Disease Control assumes that one in three don't wash.
Everyone should wash their hands for 20 seconds (or about the length of a little tune) to remove germs. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs. Rinse well and dry your hands. It is estimated that one out of three people do not wash their hands after using the restroom. Wash your hands before, during, and after you prepare food; before you eat, and after you use the bathroom; after handling animals or animal waste; when your hands are dirty; and more frequently when someone in your home is sick. [1]A different survey finds that "Ninety percent of the women observed washed their hands, compared to 75 percent of men". In all, 91% said that they washed their hands.
And some arguments against hand-washing: wasting water; only touched toilet paper, what's the big deal?; takes too much time; since so many are not washing, just consider everything dirty. A few remark that they only wash when someone is watching....
I feel like taking wet-wipes with me all over the place now...
Posts
1 comment:
I asked a medical researcher if germs lived long enough on doorknobs to spread contagion. His answer: Definitely.
In his hospital, personnel are told to wash their hands, then take two paper towels, use one to dry with, and the other to avoid actually touching the door handle. He said that most hospitals have waste cans located just outside their restrooms to dispose of such towels.
Post a Comment