TOP EIGHT GERMIEST PUBLIC PLACES
The top disease-ridden surfaces to avoid when you leave home, according to Prevention Magazine:
Restaurant Menus: Have you ever seen anyone wash off a menu?
Probably not. A recent study in the Journal of Medical Virology reported
that cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces. If
it's a popular restaurant, hundreds of people could be handling the
menus -- and passing their germs on to you. Never let a menu touch your
plate or silverware, and wash your hands after you place your order.
Lemon Wedges: According to a 2007 study in the Journal of
Environmental Health, nearly 70 percent of the lemon wedges perched on
the rims of restaurant glasses contain disease-causing microbes. When
the researchers ordered drinks at 21 different restaurants, they found
25 different microorganisms lingering on the 76 lemons that they
secured, including E. coli and other fecal bacteria. Tell your server
that you'd prefer your beverage sans fruit.
Condiment Dispensers: It's the rare eatery that regularly
bleaches its condiment containers, and the reality is that many people
don't wash their hands before eating. So while you may be diligent, the
guy who poured the ketchup before you may not have been, which means his
germs are now on your fries. Squirt hand sanitizer on the outside of
the condiment bottle or use a disinfectant wipe before you grab it.
Holding the bottle with a napkin won't help; napkins are porous, so
microorganisms can pass right through.
Restroom Door Handles: Don't think you can escape the
restroom without touching the door handle? Palm a spare paper towel
after you wash up and use it to grasp the handle. Yes, other patrons may
think you're a germophobe, but you'll never see them again, and you're
the one who won't get sick.
Soap Dispensers: About 25 percent of public restroom
dispensers are contaminated with fecal bacteria. Soap that harbors
bacteria may seem ironic, but that's exactly what a recent study found.
Most of these containers are never cleaned, so bacteria grows as the
soap scum builds up, and the bottoms are touched by dirty hands, so
there's a continuous culture feeding millions of bacteria. Be sure to
scrub hands thoroughly with plenty of hot water for 15 to 20 seconds. If
you happen to have an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, use that, too.
Grocery Carts: The handles of almost two-thirds of the
shopping carts tested in a 2007 study at the University of Arizona were
contaminated with fecal bacteria. In fact, the bacterial counts of the
carts exceeded those of the average public restroom. Swab the handle
with a disinfectant wipe before grabbing hold (stores are starting to
provide them, so look around for a dispenser). And while you're wheeling
around the supermarket, skip the free food samples, which are nothing
more than communal hand-to-germ-to-mouth zones.
Airplane Bathrooms: When a doctor tested for microbes in the
bathrooms of commercial jets, surfaces from faucets to doorknobs were
found to be contaminated with E. coli. It's not surprising, then, that
you're 100 times more likely to catch a cold when you're airborne,
according to a recent study in the Journal of Environmental Health
Research. To protect yourself, try taking green tea supplements. In a
2007 study from the University of Florida, people who took a
450-milligram green tea supplement twice a day for 3 months had
one-third fewer days of cold symptoms.
Doctor's Office: A doctor's office is not the place to be if
you're trying to avoid germs. Take your own books and magazines (and
kids' toys, if you have your children or grandchildren with you). Pack
your own tissues and hand sanitizers, which should be at least 60
percent alcohol content. In the waiting room, leave at least two chairs
between you and the other patients to reduce your chances of picking up
their bugs. Germ droplets from coughing and sneezing can travel about 3
feet before falling to the floor.
