REPORTING POINT 03/09
HEALTH NEWS
“Live healthy...Live well”
Dedicated to providing pertinent information on health, fitness, and nutrition to foster a culture of wellness among Southwest Airlines flight crews and their families.
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 4337/email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net
Past issues of “Health News” are available at http://health.theballfamily.org. It includes a search engine; just enter a key word to find past articles. LK
WHERE THE “BUGS” ARE – there are some very unpleasant germs that are hiding in many common areas – areas that you might not expect. Here are a few of the places you might not have guessed:
Vacuum cleaner – researchers at the University of Arizona found that 50 percent of the vacuum brushes they tested contain fecal bacteria, including 13 percent with E. coli, and all were packing mold. Vacuuming can transfer the germs from contaminated surfaces to uncontaminated ones.
SOLUTION – spray the brush with a disinfectant after every use – traces of bacteria can survive as long as five days inside the vacuum after emptying the bag.
Your weight-lifting gloves – a 2004 study found that staph bacteria (including MRSA) bind strongly to polyester, which is used in many gloves.
SOLUTION – some physicians recommend not using gloves to lift, but using bare hands instead, which can also strengthen the grip and forearms. Be careful to not rub your eyes, nose, or mouth after touching gym equipment and wash your hands thoroughly after working out.
Gym equipment – a 2006 study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found rhinoviruses on 63 percent of the gym equipment at the fitness centers that they tested. Researchers also discovered that weight equipment was contaminated significantly more often than aerobic equipment (73 percent versus 51 percent). The study also found that disinfecting the equipment twice a day did not do anything to lower the virus count.
SOLUTION – since most colds are transmitted through hand-to-nose contact, avoid touching your face between sets. Consider bringing an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in the gym bag.
Grocery cart – the handles of almost two-thirds of shopping carts tested in a 2007 University of Arizona study were contaminated with fecal bacteria. The carts had even more of these bacteria than the average public bathroom.
SOLUTION – swab the handle with a disinfectant wipe before grabbing hold. Some stores are providing these wipes at the entrance (say “hi” to the retired SWA pilot-greeter). Be sure to bag unpackaged food items like fruits and vegetables before putting them into the cart to minimize their exposure to the bacteria lurking on the cart. And please do not let your young toddler “teeth” on the handle – that is a surefire way to get ill.
Restaurant menu – a study in the Journal of Medical Virology reports that cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces. If the restaurant is popular, hundreds of people could be passing their colds on to those who handle the menu.
SOLUTION – never let the menu touch the plate or silverware and wash your hands after you order. Even when visiting the restroom, after washing up use a paper towel to grab the door handle – use this technique especially after using the lavatory on the aircraft.
Commercial aircraft – hundreds of sniffling and coughing passengers travel every day on our flights, contaminating all the surfaces they touch. Testers have found that the surfaces of faucets to door handles on aircraft lavatories are routinely contaminated with E. coli. as well as the viruses associated with colds and the flu.
The Journal of Environmental Health Research recently revealed that one is 100 times more likely to catch a cold while flying than on the ground.
SOLUTION – frequent hand washing is your best defense to protecting yourself from all the potential bugs that are lurking to contaminate you on our aircraft.
Shower curtain – the soap scum left on the curtain is more than unsightly. A study in Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that vinyl shower curtains often contain such pathogens as Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium. Often the force of the shower spray will cause the microbes to take flight.
SOLUTION – hang a fabric shower curtain instead of a vinyl curtain from the rod. It will still harbor bacteria, but it is much easier to clean than scrubbing down a vinyl curtain. Wash the fabric curtain in the washer using the hottest water the fabric can handle.
(The best defense against an infection is acquiring the habit of washing your hands often. If not always convenient, try one of the alcohol-based sanitizers to lessen your chances of catching something not very pleasant – LK) Men’s Health 5/08.
BEWARE OF “ENERGY DRINKS” – energy drinks such as Red Bull or Monster usually have lots of sugar and caffeine (and/or other stimulants) which may cause tooth erosion and can lead to cavities. These drinks are very acidic, like many sodas, but a recent study in General Dentistry found that Red Bull is much more corrosive than soda, Gatorade, or a coffee drink. If you do drink such beverages, be sure to rinse with water afterwards.
The same advice applies to those who eat dried fruit. Dried fruit is a great snack food as it is a good source of minerals (iron, copper, and potassium), beta carotene, and fiber, but also sugar and thus calories. The sugar, combined with the sticky texture, makes dried fruit bad for teeth.
Drying fruit destroys most of the vitamin C and any heat-sensitive phytochemicals. If you cannot brush your teeth after eating dried fruit, at least rinse with water after consuming. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/08.
IS BPA SAFE? – BPA (bisphenol A) is virtually everywhere these days, contained in impact-resistant baby bottles, spill-proof toddler sippy cups, water bottles, plastic storage containers for leftovers, plastic knives, forks, and spoons, even in the inside linings of just about every food or soda can. BPA is in the bloodstream of nearly every person in the United States.
Polycarbonates – one of the plastics that carry the No. 7 recycling symbol – are clear, tough and lightweight. These properties make polycarbonate ideal for hard reusable water bottles and many other plastic products that we use everyday.
Polycarbonate is made from BPA, which is added to plastic to harden it. Small amounts of BPA leach out when the plastic or can lining comes in contact with food or water. Low levels of BPA are also found in house dust, the air, and in water. What worries some scientists is that BPA is an estrogen “mimic.” It activates the same receptors in the body as estrogen does. BPA was first studied in the s1930’s as a synthetic estrogen for women. Because hormones are the messengers in the body’s endocrine system, chemicals like BPA are called “endocrine disruptors.” As a result of its popularity in containers, BPA is the largest volume endocrine-disrupting chemical in commerce.
A report issued in 2007 by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences warned that the wide range of adverse effects of low doses of BPA in animal studies might explain the increased rates of breast and prostate cancer in humans, as well as the early onset of puberty in girls, type 2 diabetes, obesity, ADHD, and other observed health trends. Another study by the National Toxicology Program said it has some concern BPA alters development of the brain and prostate gland in children and babies, both before and after birth.
A subsequent study released at the end of 2007 disputed the findings of the first studies. This second study was funded in large part by the plastics industry and not surprisingly found bisphenol A consumed at any dose caused no harm.
The studies did agree that the biggest concern was the effects of BPA on the neurobehavioral alterations in the young. Looking beyond BPA’s impact on the developing brain, there is no consensus among the scientific community. Some scientists are concerned about the possibility of BPA stimulating the growth of cells in the mammary glands of females and accelerating the proliferation of cells in the male prostate which may contribute to an increased risk of cancer later in life. But long term animal studies have currently not verified the risk.
The studies that the FDA has used to determine its “safe” declaration for BPA may be flawed as outside studies indicate that BPA could pose harm to children at levels at least 10 times lower than the amount the agency says is safe. All the data that the FDA used was from studies funded by the plastics industry. Many independent experts believe BPA is too toxic to use in baby products.
Currently independent academic researchers are performing far more sophisticated tests than previous ones to determine the magnitude of the risk. Foreign governments are divided on the safety of BPA. While the European Food Safety Authority and the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology say BPA is safe – Canada has proposed banning it.
In the meantime, a good alternative to polycarbonate is polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) which has the recycling No. 1 on the bottom and contains no BPA, but when scratched or heated, other chemicals could be released into the body. Some experts suggest using these items just once
Another alternative is soft plastic bottles made with polyethylene (LDPE, HDPE) that are BPA-free, but these plastic products degrade with heat and harsh soaps. It is a good choice, but hand wash and rinse regularly to avoid degradation. Water that sits too long in the bottle develops a plastic-like taste.
Because of all the controversy, the FDA is planning on more research and may re-evaluate its flawed research on the chemical. Nutrition Action Healthletter 4/08, USA Today 9/15/08, Runner’s World 10/08, USA Today 10/30/08, 12/16/08.
