Did you know there is fecal matter on almost everything?
What do a man’s beard, the local swimming pool and your coffee pot all have in common? Their surfaces are home to a variety of bacteria and fecal matter – yes, poop.
In fact, fecal matter is present almost everywhere we are – our homes, cars, workplaces, schools. The big question is, how concerned should we be?
“While fecal matter sounds pretty gross, the good news is that the risk of catching an illness or disease from it in our everyday environment is pretty low,” says Dr. Brian Yu, an infection disease specialist at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Ill. “The best defense is to practice proper hygiene whenever possible. It can go a long way toward keeping you healthy and well.”
Any item that you touch regularly is likely to contain some level of fecal matter or bacteria. One study found that 1 in 6 cell phones are contaminated with fecal matter. Other research has called special attention to baby toys and cribs, computer keyboards, toothbrushes and a large number of other everyday items in the home.
“Bacteria is really just a fact of life. There’s no purpose in worrying about it too much, as long as you make proper hand washing a strong habit,” says Dr. Yu. “You can also thank your immune system for keeping you well. It is constantly working, cataloging all the things your body comes into contact with, and developing new antibodies to keep them from harming your health.”
Dr. Yu offers these basic tips for daily hygiene:
- Wash your hands frequently. Soap and hot water is always best, but alcohol-based hand sanitizer can work in a pinch. Wash your hands when returning home from a public place or after getting off public transportation. And always after using the restroom, of course.
- Change your kitchen sponges frequently and/or use washable rags in the kitchen. Focus on keeping surfaces and sinks clean – and try to sanitize your coffee maker monthly.
- Give your desk at work a good cleaning every now and then, especially in flu season. Wipe down shared keyboards and phones frequently to try to prevent the spread of germs.
- Keeping your car clean in the cold winter months can be tricky, but it’s worth it to regularly wipe down the steering wheel and frequently touched surfaces like cup holders and radio dials.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
Fine you say there’s fecal matter everywhere- but
How does this fecal matter get all over?? And what proof is there to substantiate this?
^because people don’t wash their hands very well or even at all after they use the rest room, so basically everything that a hand touches will have fecal matter on it. Also, flushing a toilet without closing the lid ends up spraying some into the air. click on the word study in this article and it leads to another that goes into more detail
I love your 4 tips.
But … “While fecal matter sounds pretty gross, the good news is that the risk of catching an illness or disease from it in our everyday environment is pretty low,”
If this is true, how do you explain “the vomiting season” in England or the fact that norovirus is second only to the common cold in prevalence. Why is norovirus (fecal-hand-oral) killing so many residents in nursing homes? Are you aware that the CDC claims 380,000 nursing home residents die each year from disease they pick up from their home? What % would you estimate is attributable to norovirus?
While I also totally agree with this, “Bacteria is really just a fact of life. There’s no purpose in worrying about it too much, as long as you make proper hand washing a strong habit,” I would include virus along with bacteria as its infectious dose is so minute compared to most bacteria.
Think about what that means with respect to shopping in stores and eating in restaurants. Nasty and disgusting. To learn more, consider taking a sanitation course.
We live in a world of shit!
Idk, how many of you own dogs? You let them out in the yard to do their business. They roll around all over in it. You let them back in the house, and presto! A couple good shakes, and whatever’s on them is now all over everything.
Fecal matter is removed from our body through our breath as well. Quite a measurable amount too.