There could be more bacteria
on your toothbrush than on your toilet seat!
If that's not upsetting, possibly even stomach-churning, then I don't know what is!
When I first got wind of that
statement, I deemed it both unlikely and hard to swallow, but Dr Gerry Curatola
told Fox News, if you keep your toothbrush within six feet of a toilet, it
could be infested with fecal matter!
Thanks for sharing.
Susan and I went to CAA
around Christmas time to pay our yearly membership. We happened to notice they
sold toothbrush covers and that sparked a family discussion that blossomed into
wickedly delightful enlightenment once my son and his girlfriend began chiming
in with helpful information they gleaned from the internet.
They pointed out every time a
toilet flushes, it releases an aerosol spray of tiny water droplets that contain
microscopic fecal matter and, to some degree, it covers everything within a
certain distance of the toilet bowl!
Good to know.
To be honest, I find
discussions like these slightly squirm-inducing.
I’d much rather wave my hand to activate the “Sound Princess”! It's a device that masks the cruder sounds that may or may not
be generated by human bowel movements. I'd rather that, than share any of my alleged noises with others who
happen to be in a public bathroom at the same time. One 2003 article suggests
the “Sound Princess” was designed in 1988 for embarrassed Japanese women. The device
is used in Japanese bathrooms to simulate the sound of water flushing, and is
available in a portable version, referred to as Keitai Otohime in Japanese.
 |
| Me, clearly living dangerously |
The helpful ingenuity doesn’t
stop there.
In 2001, a Colorado man
invented airtight underwear with a replaceable charcoal filter to remove bad
smelling gases caused by flatulence. They’re called Under-Ease.
Three cheers for him!
Some ingenuity is far more
questionable, like the Japanese lab in 1993 exploring possible solutions to an eventual food crisis, by turning sewage into an edible, high-protein
meat substitute.
A 1996 conference of hundreds
of scientists and doctors in Panjim, India, might require a fierce adjustment in our thinking. They were discussing human
urine as a potential cure for a host of killer diseases. Doctors involved in that
research claim urine contains hormones, enzymes, vitamins and minerals that can
cure illnesses, from heart disease to cancer.
Last March, a British Airlines
flight from London to Dubai turned around because of the stink coming from the
airplane bathroom! The article says the feces was described by one passenger as
liquid in consistency. One scientist commenting on the story pointed out odor
molecules entering your nasal passages are not as harmful as pathogens flying
through the air. The bad stink doesn’t pose much risk for transmitting disease. Gastroenterologist
Jean-Pierre Raufman of the University of Maryland School of Medicine admits,
“It’s obviously offensive and difficult for folks on the airplane,” but, he
points out, “usually the risk comes from ingesting the bacteria, not inhaling
them,” which bring us back to toothbrushes.
Dr. Curatola contends in a March
2014 article that covering toothbrushes with plastic covers is one of the most
dangerous methods of storage because the plastic containers “act like petri
dishes and grow viruses and bacteria inside them”. He recommends a fabric
toothbrush shield. He also says normal toothpaste has zero impact on the
bacteria sitting on your toothbrush bristles.
That is disappointing. It would have been nice to hear the toothpaste at least neutralized any negative properties contained in the bacteria.
Call me lazy. I have made a
conscious decision not to make a decision but, instead, to continue doing what
I’ve been doing, clearly living dangerously.
