[Web4lib] CAN LIBRARIES BE SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION?

[Pons, Lisa (ponslm)]

Thank you for asking for clarification: he was concerned about
antibacterial everything, not just soaps. He always told us regular
soaps were fine for everyday needs.

Basically, as has been said, some exposure was good to develop immunity.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: pat.knuth at us.army.mil [mailto:pat.knuth at us.army.mil] 
> Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 1:13 PM
> To: Pons, Lisa (ponslm)
> Cc: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: Re: RE: [Web4lib] CAN LIBRARIES BE SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION?
> 
> I seem to remember reading something about many bacteria 
> drying out and dying quickly when they were on fabric.  I 
> suspect the same thing would be the case for most book pages. 
>  However, they  probably wouldn't die as quickly on the clear 
> book protectors. 
> 
> But the difference between a library or other public places 
> and a Dr.'s office or a hospital is that there is a 
> concentration of sick people at a Dr.'s office or hospital.  
> There is more chance of touching something that was just 
> touched/contaminated by a sick person.
> 
> Lisa - was your father concerned about the overuse of soaps 
> in general, or was it antibacterial soaps?  I thought regular 
> soap just made it easier to wash the germs away, rather than 
> killing them.
> 
> Pat Knuth
> Systems Librarian
> European Regional Librarian & Support Center DSN 314-370-7680 or 7430
> Comm: +49-6221-57-7680 or 7430
> pat.knuth at us.army.mil
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pons, Lisa (ponslm)" <PONSLM at UCMAIL.UC.EDU>
> Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 18:30
> Subject: RE: [Web4lib] CAN LIBRARIES BE SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION?
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> 
> > Personal anecdote: 
> > 
> > My father was a virologist, and worked especially with the 
> flu virus 
> > and Aids viruses. He worked with Nobel Prize winners (including one 
> > who developed polio vaccine). He said that over use of soaps and 
> > sanitizersto destroy germs could (to somehwat oversimplify) 
> result in 
> > superbugs, as well as mutations. He did encourage us to 
> wash our hands 
> > and such, but, as you said in your statement, a little exposure was 
> > not necessarily a bad thing.
> > 
> > FWIW...
> > 
> > Lisa Pons-Haitz
> > University of Cincinnati
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > But, there are some who argue that trying too hard to 
> live in a germ 
> > > free environment makes people more likely rather than 
> less likely to 
> > > get sick because a person's body has no opportunity to develop 
> > > immunity by gradual exposure. An example of this is the 
> > > school/daycare experience. A child's first year in 
> daycare or school 
> > > is usually full of minor illnesses; then it slows or 
> stops because 
> > > the child has developed immunities to the common "germs". 
> Here is an 
> > > article that covers this topic relating to children and
> > > allergies-
> > > http://www.usc.edu/hsc/info/pr/hmm/00-01winter/germs.html 
> . I have 
> > > read loads of material over the years presenting this view point 
> > > with regard to living in general. Does anyone have better 
> access to 
> > > journal articles about this?
> > > 
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> > 
>