Latest news with #TheGermCode
CBC
28-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
It takes more than a pandemic to make good handwashing habits stick
You've likely let your handwashing habit slide as the pandemic moved out of the spotlight. Jason Tetro doesn't like it, but he understands. The Canadian microbiologist and handwashing evangelist said the COVID-19 health crisis helped focus people's minds on proper hand hygiene, but even as early March 2020 he was predicting a backslide once the immediate threat of a new virus faded. Surveys on handwashing trends suggest Tetro was right. "I feel vindicated, but at the same time it's really depressing," he said. Tetro, who wrote The Germ Cod e and The Germ Files, said high-touch surfaces like door handles, shared office equipment and cellphones still carry the risk of microbes, so people should wash their hands or at least use sanitizer after touching them. "Unfortunately, a lot of people simply are choosing not to do that because they don't think that there's any COVID there, so they're not going to do it anymore," he said. A pre-pandemic study from the International Journal of Epidemiology yielded the nauseating statistic that only about 51 per cent of people in wealthy countries with greater access to handwashing facilities wash their hands with soap after "potential fecal contact." While there hasn't been a comparable study, a recent National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey in the U.S. found 48 percent of adults admitted to forgetting or choosing not to wash their hands at key moments, like after visiting grocery stores, restaurants or health-care facilities. While the methodology used in that survey was different, you might take some relief from the fact that 69 per cent of American adults reported they wash their hands after using the bathroom. But even after the world ground to a halt over a contagious respiratory virus, only one-third report washing their hands with soap after coughing or sneezing. The NFID's campaign says handwashing can help prevent 80 per cent of infectious disease. That message was amplified with signage, social media posts and hand sanitizing stations during the pandemic, but Tetro said it's now common to find those hand sanitizing dispensers empty. "Those nudges were fantastic during the pandemic, but when you take those nudges away you're inadvertently saying that maybe hand hygiene isn't important anymore," he said. "If you're not going to fill them, then take them off the walls." A Canadian survey in 2021 reported more than 90 percent of participants were washing their hands more frequently due to the pandemic, with 63 percent strongly agreeing with that statement. A hospital's handwashing helper Even health-care workers weren't immune from waning hand hygiene, according to a study of Ontario hospitals published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Tetro said more recent studies have shown a net improvement among health professionals. To shore up those gains, The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus is using 3D imaging sensors installed in the ceiling of their transitional care ward to keep up those nudges, and it's led to a sustained increase in handwashing. The artificially intelligent monitoring systems (AIMS) platform has been programmed to recognize proper handwashing technique. "There's a light, it's that reminder and it just triggers something in your brain," said Sybile Delice-Charlemagne, clinical manager in the hospital's transitional care unit where the "nodes" have been installed for nearly six months. "As I'm washing my hands, I wait for the light to turn green." The nodes are networked to track handwashing as busy staff move from room to room, allowing them to scrub with sanitizer while they walk. "They have an abundance of things to do," said Scott Delaney, CEO of Lumenix, the Ottawa-based company behind AIMS. "Our ability to provide assistance along the way is what is providing that sustained change," he said. Delaney said the system has dramatically slowed potentially deadly outbreaks wherever it's installed. "We've been able to decrease hospital-acquired infections or outbreaks in the wards we're installed [in] by greater than 90 per cent, as well as deliver a 41 per cent increase in hand-hygiene compliance," said Delaney. Delaney said the technology will soon be adopted by the McGill University Health Centre, and will be expanded at The Ottawa Hospital — all while preserving the privacy and anonymity of the people it monitors.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
You're cleaning your Tupperware wrong! Scientists reveal the simple way to remove orange stains from containers within seconds
Anyone who has used Tupperware to store their food will know just how easily the plastic containers can become stained. And the oily orange tint from pasta sauces and stews seem to be a particularly stubborn blight. But a viral hack circulating on social media claims there is a simple way to remove stains in just seconds. Now, a scientist reveals why this trick works so well and explains how you can say goodbye to those pesky orange marks. According to videos posted on TikTok, all you need to do to remove oily stains is to add water, dish soap, and a paper towel to the container and shake. Once the sealed Tupperware has been sufficiently shaken, you should find yourself with an oily towel and sparkling clean plastic. Jason Tetro, microbiologist and host of the Super Awesome Science Show and author of The Germ Code, told MailOnline: 'The hack works because it's a two-pronged approach to getting rid of the stain.' However, there are a few things you need to do to make sure this works every time. The viral hack circulating on TikTok claims that by adding soap, water, and a paper towel to your container before shaking, you can easily remove any greasy stains Why do plastic containers get stained so easily? Although the surface of a Tupperware container might look similar to other materials, it is very different at the microscopic level. Mr Tetro says: 'Plastic containers, unlike steel and glass, are not completely smooth. 'If you take a look at them under an electron microscope, you'll see pores that can allow oils to get trapped.' This means that plastic containers are more likely to pick up oily stains from your food than glass or ceramic options. Unlike discolouration caused by other substances, these stains are also particularly difficult to remove because of oil's chemical properties. Mr Tetro says: 'The oils are stubborn because they repel water and as such, rinsing and washing won't extract them from those pores.' Water is able to dissolve some substances because it is 'polar', meaning its molecules have areas of different electrical charges. Other polar molecules, like salt, stick to these charged areas, allowing them to dissolve. However, since oils aren't polar, water alone can't dissolve them - which makes oily stains harder to wash away. How does this cleaning hack work? This viral cleaning trick works to remove oily stains because it combines two effective techniques in one. Since water alone can't dissolve oil, you need something that has the right chemical properties to pull the stains out of your Tupperware. Mr Tetro says: 'Dish soap contains what we call a surfactant, and this chemical is excellent at trapping oils inside small, microscopic bubbles known as micelles. 'You can just add the detergent, and you'll get micelles. But if you want to make as many as you can to improve stain removal, then you need to do one thing – shake it up like a Taylor Swift fan! The more you shake, the more micelles you make and the better the stain removal process.' This is why putting water and soap in the container before vigorously shaking is key to helping get the plastic surface clean. Natalie D'Apolito, a spokesperson for the American Cleaning Institute, told MailOnline: 'When combined with dish soap, shaking a paper towel and water inside a plastic storage container will cause agitation inside the container, helping to remove set-in stains by activating the soap and vigorously wiping the inside of the container. 'Another way to think about this is by considering how washing machines agitate, or move, the items inside during a wash cycle.' However, it is important to use an absorbent paper towel rather than any other kind of scrubbing material. Mr Tetro points out that the paper towel acts as 'another kind of trap, but this time for the micelles'. 'The micelles tend to float in the liquid freely and can end up pretty much anywhere, but if you provide a large matrix for them to get trapped, then you can prevent them from going back into the pores,' says Mr Tetro. 'First, the detergent makes all those micelles that trap the oil, and the paper towel traps those micelles so that they don't end up going back into the pores when you rinse the container.' How to make this cleaning trick work If you want to use this trick yourself, there are a few factors to bear in mind. First, you need to clean the container as soon as possible to have the best chance of removing any stains. While the micelles in the soap are effective at breaking down oils, there is a limit to how effective they can be. The longer the oils are on the plastic, the longer they have to seep into the pores, and the harder the stain will be to remove. 'The sooner you can clean stains, the better the process will be,' says Mr Tetro. Likewise, when a Tupperware container is heated, the plastic softens and the porous surface expands slightly, allowing oils to penetrate even further. Ms D'Apolito says this can be caused by microwaving a container with food inside or by the residual heat from warm food. So, if you want to ensure your containers are easy to clean, don't use them in the microwave and allow food to cool completely before storing it.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Can you eat dyed Easter eggs?
Eggs: Love them or loathe them, this somewhat controversial food has a big cultural impact. As Easter approaches, eggs become the focal point of various celebrations, from egg dyeing to traditional egg hunts (even if these eggs are often made of plastic). Yet while eggs may be everywhere this spring, not everyone is keen on consuming them, including this time of year. Whether you're unsure about eggs being part of a healthy diet or just the safety of eating them after they've been dipped in vibrant dye, there are plenty of myths to dispel. With Easter arriving this Sunday, experts spoke to Yahoo Life about all things egg. Here's what you need to know. Keith Warriner, professor of food science at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, tells Yahoo Life that eggshells have more than 4,000 pores, meaning they readily take up paint. That's why, if you are decorating your eggs at Easter, it's best to 'stick with food colorings that are safe.' Other paints, such as acrylic, contain solvents that can get into your hard-boiled eggs — and therefore into your body if you consume them. If you want to be on the safest side, Warriner suggests using vegetable extracts to dye your eggs, noting that beetroot, for example, gives a purple color, albeit at a 'lower intensity when compared with food coloring.' Paint isn't the only thing you should be concerned about, Jason Tetro, microbiologist and author of The Germ Code, tells Yahoo Life. The process of dyeing eggs and leaving them out on display can also leave you vulnerable to foodborne illness. 'Leaving hard-boiled eggs at room temperature for more than two hours can lead to bacterial growth,' he says. 'This may not be enough time to dye all the eggs, so it's best to rotate them in and out of the fridge.' Unfortunately, Tetro adds, 'if you have dyed eggs out in the open for more than three hours, they may look beautiful, but they are no longer safe to eat.' Dr. Kirsten Bechtel, professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, says that you can't keep hard-boiled eggs as long as you could uncooked eggs — whether they are dyed or not. Hard-boiled eggs should be tossed after seven days in the refrigerator, assuming you've followed all previous food safety guidelines. The idea that eggs have too much cholesterol has some people avoiding them for breakfast. But Kelli George, registered dietitian and director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at West Virginia University, says, 'Eat the eggs,' adding that cholesterol in general gets a bad rap. 'Cholesterol is a type of fat that's found in our bodies and in food, and it's not all bad,' she tells Yahoo Life. 'We need cholesterol — our body even makes it. Health problems only arise when we have too much cholesterol traveling in our blood, and that is most commonly due to lack of physical activity, eating a lot of saturated fat, which are found in foods like fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy and coconut oil, and eating a diet low in fiber.' George says that the cholesterol found in eggs, or any food, has 'almost no impact on the cholesterol traveling in our bloodstream.' Therefore she says it 'doesn't cause health-related issues like high blood cholesterol or heart disease.' Not necessarily. Despite the common belief that you should limit your egg intake, the American Heart Association says suggests eating one egg every day (or two egg whites, because only the yolks contain cholesterol) for those who like eggs. George notes that just two eggs have about 14 grams of protein, which can keep you satiated, as well as 'vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals such as choline, selenium, folate, phosphorous, vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin.' One thing you should limit, however, is the amount of raw eggs you consume. For most people, this is not an issue — but if you do consume raw eggs, Kelli warns that you should 'not eat one to two dozen raw eggs regularly, because that can cause a biotin deficiency.' That's because raw eggs contain a protein called avidin, which binds with biotin and can interfere with the absorption of biotin in the digestive system. But, in general, Kelli says that even people with heart disease can 'absolutely' eat eggs, if they enjoy them.
