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medpundit |
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Friday, December 03, 2004The Kleenex has a specially treated middle layer, containing citric acid and sodium lauryl sulfate, but as one microbiologist points out, just having the chemicals there doesn't necessarily make the tissue an effective virus killer : "But let's say you have a large amount of mucus coming out of your nose, it is virtually impossible for the amount of citric acid and sodium lauryl sulfate in a tissue to diffuse through that and effectively kill all the virus in a particular sample." In addition, the tissue must be wadded up rather carefully with the mucus inside before it is tossed in the trash can. Stuffing it back into a pocket is liable to spread the virus. Also, for successful germ control, no mucus can touch the cold sufferer's hands. If it does, the virus can be easily transferred to a new victim either directly or indirectly. "So the concept is good, but the execution may allow for a limited effectiveness," The company claims that 99.9% of cold and flu viruses -- specifically rhinoviruses type 1A and 2, influenza A and influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus -- that are trapped in the treated tissue will be killed within 15 minutes. A 99.9% kill rate seems pretty optimistic. Especially for the large boluses of mucous that come out of most people's noses when they blow them. posted by Sydney on 12/03/2004 08:46:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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