Gas Pumps Among the Dirtiest Surfaces, Study Reveals...

These aren't the first contact areas I would have considered and felt this info was worth posting.....

Just in time for cold and flu season, new testing in six major U.S. cities reveals that gas pump and mailbox handles may be among the dirtiest surfaces Americans touch. The results, released today by Kimberly-Clark Professional, show that more than 60 percent of gas pump and mailbox handles and more than 40 percent of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons can be highly contaminated, potentially exposing people to illness-causing bacteria. Illness in the workplace is not just a health issue, but can also have a major economic impact. Each year companies lose $1,685 per employee due to absenteeism and presenteeism (employees coming to work while sick).

The testing was conducted by trained hygienists in high traffic locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia. Using a Hygiena SystemSURE II™ ATP Meter, a device commonly used to monitor sanitary conditions in industry, hygienists swabbed the objects to measure levels of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATP is present in all animal, vegetable, bacteria, yeast and mold cells. Detection of ATP indicates the presence of contamination by any of these sources. Everyday objects with
www.infectioncontroltoday.com...

reply to post by wutz4tom
"Praetorius' immune system among the strongest known to men, likely as result of not worrying too much about namby-pamby germs in our dirty world, study reveals..."

I'm sure the headline would read SOMETHING like that, anyway.

Are we supposed to be surprised by this....Any common surface that we touch will be dirty and contaminated, heck the bathroom door knob is dirtier than the toilet seat.....Our hands dirtier than our a$$e$ !!! LOL

reply to post by Fox Molder


Im really hoping my hand are not as dirty as my butt...
mostly surprised with gas pump handles being they exposed to the colder temps...

reply to post by wutz4tom


Posted thinking that we all have much to concern ourselves with these days..it's really easy to forget to take a few precautions...just a thought

Originally posted by wutz4tom
reply to post by Fox Molder

 

Im really hoping my hand are not as dirty as my butt...
mostly surprised with gas pump handles being they exposed to the colder temps...

Germ colonies are 1000 times greater on bathroom door knobs than toilet seats, that's proven. Same applies for your keyboard and mouse. ALL commonly used surfaces are dirty as all hell!

Originally posted by Fox Molder

Originally posted by wutz4tom
reply to post by Fox Molder

 

Im really hoping my hand are not as dirty as my butt...
mostly surprised with gas pump handles being they exposed to the colder temps...

Germ colonies are 1000 times greater on bathroom door knobs than toilet seats, that's proven. Same applies for your keyboard and mouse. ALL commonly used surfaces are dirty as all hell!

guess I shouldn't chew on the office pencil then..(;

reply to post by wutz4tom
We (I, at least) definitely appreciate the information and the advice, but beyond washing up when done in the lavatory or after being around obviously sick folks, I don't really see too much point in worrying about things like this. Trying to effectively live in a bubble will in the end just end up with you having a weaker immune system per lack of exposure, and using proactive methods (antibacterials, antibiotics, etc.) too often end up breeding super-strains.

Given the fact that essentially everything is filthy, including our skin (colonies of staph and god knows what all else), getting caught up on this beyond obvious wisdom in serious cases as mentioned above seems like something that would really only serve to make people crazy, if they realized the facts of it.

reply to post by Praetorius


That does make sense and I can surely appreciate the part the germs play in immune development.
Appreciate your contribution

It's interesting that you have decided to post this information on this site. This problem in which you have outlined is what I've spent much time on researching, and developing solutions to solve this very problem. The day is right around the corner in which these issues will no longer be a problem. I do lack to investment capital needed to seriously address this issue, but that is by no means going to hold me back.

The whole system of patents is truly the only thing holding me back, but it's whatever. I'm in the final stages of getting all the ducks in a row so that I may seriously present my work to those that do have the means of bringing these ideas into fruition. As technology only advances, one day all of these problems will be layed to rest. It's not simply enough to identify the problem, it's identifying the solution.

What solutions do any of you have? I would love to share mine, but in this dog eat dog world of capitalism driven markets, I'm not so willing just to toss all my research and developement back into the ocean, just to watch another person catch it and profit. I personally don't trust that even if I were to present it, that a major corporation wouldn't scoop it up, make some crazy profit and then turn these profits into stagnant chunks of change that wont later serve to help the innovations and progression of technology that man so dearly desires.

Having said this, I would imply that the world is filled with germs or bacteria, just know where it's most common and address it accordingly day to day.

Originally posted by Praetorius
reply to post by wutz4tom

 

We (I, at least) definitely appreciate the information and the advice, but beyond washing up when done in the lavatory or after being around obviously sick folks, I don't really see too much point in worrying about things like this. Trying to effectively live in a bubble will in the end just end up with you having a weaker immune system per lack of exposure, and using proactive methods (antibacterials, antibiotics, etc.) too often end up breeding super-strains.

Given the fact that essentially everything is filthy, including our skin (colonies of staph and god knows what all else), getting caught up on this beyond obvious wisdom in serious cases as mentioned above seems like something that would really only serve to make people crazy, if they realized the facts of it.

Bacteriophobia
www.saviodsilva.net...[
Agreed...has and will continue to with certain people

• null
  

Originally posted by wutz4tom

These aren't the first contact areas I would have considered and felt this info was worth posting.....

Just in time for cold and flu season, new testing in six major U.S. cities reveals that gas pump and mailbox handles may be among the dirtiest surfaces Americans touch. The results, released today by Kimberly-Clark Professional, show that more than 60 percent of gas pump and mailbox handles and more than 40 percent of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons can be highly contaminated, potentially exposing people to illness-causing bacteria. Illness in the workplace is not just a health issue, but can also have a major economic impact. Each year companies lose $1,685 per employee due to absenteeism and presenteeism (employees coming to work while sick).

The testing was conducted by trained hygienists in high traffic locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia. Using a Hygiena SystemSURE II™ ATP Meter, a device commonly used to monitor sanitary conditions in industry, hygienists swabbed the objects to measure levels of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATP is present in all animal, vegetable, bacteria, yeast and mold cells. Detection of ATP indicates the presence of contamination by any of these sources. Everyday objects with
www.infectioncontroltoday.com...
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Gas Pump Handles, ATMs Among Dirtiest, Germ-Ridden Surfaces

What do gas pump handles, ATM buttons, mailbox handles and escalator rails have in common in the USA? As the flu season approaches, you may wish make a note of this: they are amongst the most germ-ridden and dirtiest surfaces that Americans touch every day, according to tests carried out in six US major cities

Gas Pump Handles, ATMs Among Dirtiest, Germ-Ridden Surfaces

What do gas pump handles, ATM buttons, mailbox handles and escalator rails have in common in the USA? As the flu season approaches, you may wish make a note of this: they are amongst the most germ-ridden and dirtiest surfaces that Americans touch every day, according to tests carried out in six US major cities

www.medicalnewstoday.com...

The tests revealed that the following surfaces had ATP counts of 300 or more:

• 71 percent of gas pump handles
  
• 68 percent of mailbox handles
  
• 43 percent of escalator rails
  
• 41 percent of ATM buttons
  
• 40 percent of parking meters/kiosks
  
• 35 percent of crosswalk buttons
  
• 35 percent of vending machine buttons
  

edit on 31-10-2011 by wutz4tom because: (no reason given)

edit on 31-10-2011 by wutz4tom because: (no reason given)

edit on 31-10-2011 by wutz4tom because: (no reason given)