Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Your Purse Could Be Making You Sick

Some Interesting News...



Your Purse Could Be Making You Sick
A Microbiologist Found Millions of Germs on Purses
ABC News by Elisabeth Leamy
August 8, 2006

Microbiologist Chuck Gerba researches where organisms that make us sick lurk and lately he says he has found that germs gather on the outside of a woman's purse, especially on the bottom.

'We found fecal bacteria you normally find on the floor of restroom,' he said. 'We found bacteria that can cause skin infections on the bottom of purses. What's more amazing is the large numbers we find on the bottom of purses, which indicates that they can be picking up a lot of other germs like cold viruses or viruses that cause diarrhea.'

Read more: ABC News: Your Purse Could Be Making You Sick


After reading this, I wiped down my purse with disinfectant! I will never, ever set my purse down on a restroom floor again if I can possibly avoid it.

Between this and the handles of the shopping carts being contaminated, it takes some of the joy out of shopping.

3 comments:

Sarabeth said...

I wonder what researchers would find if they swabbed the bottom of a diaper bag!

I routinely clean out the bags that I use to carry around the snacks, drinks, and now bottles for the kids. Plus, the grocery store that I frequent most provides wipes for the shopping carts. I particularly use them duirng the winter because you know that the kids have snot all over their hands!

Genevieve Netz said...

I carry and use anti-bacterial wipes for the cart handles. Kroger provides wipes for the handles, but I also go to Aldi's and WalMart, and they don't. In Aldi's checkout routine, they give you the cart that the person ahead of you had been using -- just to spread the germs around a little more.

Genevieve Netz said...

Later, I got to thinking that probably purses can pick up some yucky diaper germs as well as snot from the toddler seats in shopping carts where we all carry our purses around! It's certainly something to consider if your immune system is compromised in any way.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

CONTENTMENT: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry, live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, pray always, forget self, think of others and their feelings, fill your heart with love, scatter sunshine. These are the tried links in the golden chain of contentment.
(Author unknown)

IT IS STILL BEST to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure; and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
(Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867-1957)

Thanks for reading.