Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/837228
Joke of the Week On the last day of school, the children brought gifts for their teacher. The florist's son brought the teacher a bouquet of flowers. The candy store owner's d aughter gave the teacher a pretty box of candy. Then the beverage store owner's son brought up a big, heavy box. The teacher lifted it up and noticed that it was leaking a little bit. She touched a drop of liquid with her finger and tasted it. "Is it lemon ade?" she guessed. "No" the boy replied. "She tasted another drop and asked, "Mountain Dew?" "No…" said the little boy. "It's a puppy!" © Portable Sanitation Ass ociation International (PSAI) • 2626 E 82 n d Street, Suite 175 • Bloomi ngton, MN 55425 www.psa i.org • 952 - 854 - 8300 W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 14, 2017 New St udy Puts Old Recommendation in Hot Water A study at Rutgers University – New Brunswick offers some insight into hand washing rituals, indicating temperature was never part of the problem When washing your hands, the age - old adage has always been to rinse them in warm, soapy water. The reasoning behind this recommendation is because supposedly warmer water kills more bacteria than a cold splash could. However, a new study performed at Rutgers - New Brunswick "found that cool water removes the same amount of h armful bacteria as hot." While this longstanding piece of advice may also have gained its popularity due to comfort – it is certainly more comfortable to rinse your hands in warm water rather than cold – "this study shows us that the temperature of the wa ter used didn't matter." In this study, "high levels of a harmless bacteria were put on the hands of 21 participants multiple times over a six - month period before they were asked to wash their hands" in varying temperatures of water. Ranging from 60 degree s, 79 degrees, and 100 degrees, using volumes of soap at .5ml, 1ml and 2ml, the temperature of the water made no difference on the bacteria levels removed from the hands. The interesting breakthrough could have significant implications for conserving wat er energy. It is much more affordable and saves energy when running cold water for an extended period of time versus heated water. This may also have an impact on the restaurant an d food industry, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guidelines "curr ently recommend that plumbing systems at food establishments and restaurants deliver water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for hand washing." While this is a guideline that has lacked enough scien ce to fully justify, "many states… interpret the FDA guidelines as a requirement that water temperature for hand washing must be 100 degrees." According to Donald Schaffner, distinguished professor and extension specialist in food science at Rutgers, "this study indic ates that there should be a policy change… We are was ting energy to heat water to a level that is not necessary." R EAD THE STORY