Efficacy of Removing Bacteria and Organic Dirt from Hands-A Study Based on Bioluminescence Measurements for Evaluation of Hand Hygiene When Cooking
Publication details
Journal : International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) , vol. 18 , 2021
Publisher : MDPI
International Standard Numbers
:
Printed
:
1661-7827
Electronic
:
1660-4601
Publication type : Academic article
Issue : 16
Links
:
ARKIV
:
hdl.handle.net/11250/2776400
DOI
:
doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168828
Research areas
Shelf life and food safety
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Kjetil Aune
Chief Librarian
kjetil.aune@nofima.no
Summary
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dirt removal (bacteria and organic matter) of several hand-cleaning procedures. The results from the hand hygiene experiment indicated that washing hands with warm water and soap for 20 s is the most effective method investigated when hands are either dirty or greasy. Even if not proper washing, rinsing under running water for 5 s is a cleaning procedure that may significantly reduce the probability of cross-contamination, as it removes 90% of the hands' dirt. Although less effective than water and soap, the usage of antibacterial wipes was significantly more effective than wet wipes, indicating that they are a better choice when water and soap are not available. The results of this study enable us to inform consumers about the effectiveness of hand-cleaning procedures applied in their homes when cooking. Moreover, it can make consumers understand why, during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities recommended washing hands as a preventive measure of infection and using an anti-bacterial hand gel or wiping hands with an antimicrobial wipe if water and soap are not available.
