Parents and teachers encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, touching dirty objects, and sometimes before eating. Next to every tissue box there will most likely be a bottle of hand sanitizer that kills 99.9% of germs. Both hand soap and hand sanitizer kill off the germs and bacteria that can cause infections and diseases. Which one works best? The purpose of this experiment is to show which is more effective, hand soap or hand sanitizer (Bjornsson). To prove this, Bjornsson writes up a lab using the growth of bread mold to help identify the results of both products (Bjornsson). I believe that hand soap works better than hand sanitizers because doctors remind us that we should wash our hands especially during flu season to keep us healthy. Therefore, the hypothesis for this lab is that the hand soap will be the better alternative and will slow down the growth of bread mold more than the hand sanitizer in this experiment.
Some background research had to be done before starting the experiment to prevent any faults in the lab. There are a few types of bread mold Aijith had described that could possibly grow during the experiment: Rhizopus, which can be gray or black, Penicillium, which varies between gray, green and white, Aperaillius, which is green-blue to brown and Fusarium, which is brownish or reddish in color (Ajith). All of these bread molds grow in different environments so the experiment may grow certain types depending on the temperature and humidity the bread is put in (Ajith). Also, according to Kemp, Paul, and Segal, the type of bread used in the experiment can affect the growth of bread mold because preservatives can slow down the growth of bread mold (Kemp, Paul and Segal)....
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...n, it is washed off away from our hands. On the bread mold, some of the bacteria was still left inside. This lab has allowed me to understand the way bread mold is prevented and the pros and cons of washing hands with soap and water, and hand sanitizer.
Works Cited
1. Ajith, Auston. Science Projects. Auston Ajith, 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
2. Ajith, Auston. Chart. Science Project N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
3. Bjornsson, Erin. education.com. Educuation.com Inc,, 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
4. Kemp, Gina, Paul, Maya W., and Segal, Robert. "Organic Foods."
Understanding Organic Food Labels, Benefits, and Claims. Helpguide.org, Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
5. “Mold.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 15 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 Apr.
2014.
6. "The Pros and Cons of Antibacterial Soaps and Sprays."
Foreverhealthandwellness.com. N.p., 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Hand sanitizer is a very important thing to many people. There are many different types of it and almost all of it kills germs. It is perfect for when you are in a pinch and can not wash your hands or if you have to use for your job. It might not get the dirt and grime off like soap would but it kills the germs. It can prevent you from getting sick and much more. Without it there would be many more germs and viruses going around the world than there is today.
Scoffield, H. (2011, October 03). Ottawa to review safety of key ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps. The
V. (2000). Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. The Lancet, 356(9238), 1307-1312.
... to driving down the road to purchase a new, fresh loaf. Most people are unaware that the colourful spots visible on the food are just the surface spores which allow the mould to reproduce and that in fact just like plants, mould has roots which travel deep into the food. So, by scraping off this part of bread, it doesn’t stop the person from consuming a mouthful of fungus, which doesn’t seem too good. This fungus shouldn’t kill a person from consuming it, however, mouldy food may also have invisible bacteria growing along with the mould.
Over the years humans have tried every possibility to overcome the health problems, spread of epidemics and infections, disease control and have worked towards a healthy society free of disease and health problems. They have succeeded to a great extent. The book “Good germs, bad germs” describes that though the life expectancy is now far more as it was in previous eras. Epidemic problems and infectious diseases are now getting lesser and lesser and humans are being treated successfully. The hygienic conditions have also been improved so as to ensure least growth of microbes, germs, parasites and bacteria. Antibiotics have been invented to address diseases and infections caused by bacteria and viruses. With all these substantial efforts the biologists, physicians and scientists have triggered another epidemic which is even more severe. They have killed those microbes and bacterial species which were human friendly and as a result of either their disruption or mutation, pathogenic bacteria have even become more active and resistant to treatments. This has led to increased ineffectiveness of antibiotic drugs, low immunity and various infections and inflammatory diseases. The chlorinated water for drinking and food processing along with excessive hygienic conditions indicates our fight against these bacteria and germs. Further, these antibiotics are even given to the livestock which becomes our food and as result many of their resistant germs end up in our digestive tract and other organs. Thus, the war against microbes through excessive cleanliness and use of antibiotics has resulted in antibiotic resistance among humans, which has become one of the prominent problems of medical science
Mold Spores - if you can’t get these from your school don’t worry. There are mold spores all around us in the air which will eventually grow on the bread but your experiment will take longer.
Clorox and Lysol are the most commonly used disinfectants in the country. Disinfectants are used to kill bacteria which are microorganisms that grow rapidly and that can be found everywhere. Bacteria cannot be seen with the naked eyes but they are present, on your phone, desk, computer, even in the air, and they can also lead to diseases such as cholera. Some people prefer Clorox over Lysol to clean with. These two disinfectants had been tested to find out which one is the most effective at killing bacteria. Clorox is often said to be the best due to containing an active ingredient known as sodium hypochlorite which contains antibacterial activity. To test this hypothesis, a table was sprayed in three different sections, one with Clorox, one
Feces, viruses, staph, Salmonella and hand-foot-mouth disease. These are just a few of the things that can be on our hands from normal daily living. With compromised immune systems, open wounds and other issues, these are very harmful. That is why it is so important to keep proper hand hygiene in mind at all times. Hospital infections affect almost two million people in the United States every year, 100,000 of whom die. Up to 70 percent of infections could be prevented if the health care workers follow recommended protocol (Michigan Health Lab, May 26, 2016). Nobody wants to know that when your food has
Antibacterial soaps originally were used in the hospitals where initially it was effective in killing bacteria and other “Hospital” germs. However, it has been noted that in a healthy house these products are ineffective in doing keeping the family well. The soaps that the average Americans use is three parts water, which is quite diluted, compared to that of the hospitals. In addition, when washing hands, the necessary precautions to avoid more contamination are often not taken or fully remove all the bacteria that might harm us.
Biofilms are formed by a six step process. First is a reversible process, when an organic monolayer(made of polysaccharides or glycoproteins) absorbs to the surface, altering the chemical and physical properties of the surface. This makes the surface more conditioned and increase the chance that planktonic bacteria will attach. Secondly, also a reversible step, is when the free-floating or planktonic bacteria encounter the conditioned surface, and some attachment of the bacteria may occur. The third step is when the bacteria is left attached too long, then an irreversible attachment occurs. F...
Upon investigation, participants brought their own contact lens cases composed of a solution and a sample of their local tap water. Scientists also asked each person questions, regarding their contact lens history and method of disinfection. Upon laboratory experiments, scientists transferred the saline solution in each CLSC and tap water sample into centrifuge tubes. From the sides of the containers, they used cotton swabs to swipe samples of its contaminants (Üstüntürk, 2012). These samples were then fixed onto agar plates to test for fungal, amoebal, or bacterial contaminations, such as total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), Gram negatives, and
There are tons of brands of antibacterial soaps in the soap industry, and some of them have a 99.99% chance of killing germs. There is one question most likely surrounding these brands: Do they actually work, and work effectively? This is the main question revolving around my experiment. Determining the effectiveness of 4 different soaps (Purell, Softsoap, Dial, and germ-X) will show how helpful these soaps really help us human beings.
To see which name brand of hand sanitizer will work the best in disinfecting bacteria and mold. This experiment will show people which hand sanitizer works best to stay disinfected when there is no access to soap and water when needed.
If you’re unlucky enough to already have mold, you know how much of a pain it is to eliminate. So, here’s what you can do. To eradicate mold that’s currently growing, scrub the surface with detergent and water, then let that surface become completely dry. An alternate option would be to use a solution of 90 percent water and 10 percent bleach. Be aware that a stronger bleach solution will not yield better results. Use a spray bottle or a brush to apply the solution, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse it off and let it dry.
Effective hand washing is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and to keep you from getting sick, because it prevents transmission of pathogens. But what exactly is the most effective way to wash hands?