|
medpundit |
||
 |
 |
|
Saturday, October 11, 2003The Landrys have built a home, for more than $3 million, whose architectural underpinning borrows from the school of germ warfare: its structure, largely of steel, has been treated with a substance to prevent the spread of bacteria, fungi, mold and other micro-organisms. To mute the growth of germs, a silver-ion coating covers the door handles and faucets. The air-conditioning system contains elements that cleanse the circulating air. The doors have rubber jambs that keep unwanted pollen from seeping in, and the windows have double-laminated panes of UV-protected glass to prevent excessive sun exposure. Think of the 11,000-square-foot estate as Chateau Disinfectant, or the Germinator. Shades of the bubble man from Northern Exposure. Silver is known to have medicinal properties, especially antibacterial properties, although no one is quite certain how it works. There's speculation that it might interfere with bacterial cell membranes or some internal molecular pathways. For years, silver nitrate was used to prevent gonococcal eye infections in newborns. And there's an antibiotic cream called Silvadene, which is very useful for burns and abrasions. But how effective are silver ions at reducing exposure to ambient bacteria? The people who make it, say it's very effective (of course), but others say the evidence is shaky. Certainly, it's not worth investing three million dollars to keep out bacteria. For one thing, given the ubiquitous nature of microbes, it's impossible to keep them all out. You'd have to hermetically seal yourself from the outside world to achieve that goal. For another thing, not all bacteria are bad. Our intestines rely on E. coli (in the appropriate numbers) to function properly. And there's pretty good evidence that everyday exposure to microbes helps keep our immune system bolstered against them and working properly. And it looks as if eliminating all germs just may mess with your mind: Mr. Landry had one health-related development, but it was imaginary: since moving into the house, he has experienced some hypochondria; it seems that living there has made him uncomfortably conscious of the lack of antimicrobial coatings elsewhere. "When I go to the bathroom in restaurants, I wash my hands, then use the towel to open the door," he said. "I never did that before. posted by Sydney on 10/11/2003 10:00:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|
