Hot Spot Cleaning
I think that we all could have assumed that children are more
susceptible to infection by microbial pathogens picked up from
their environments than adults exposed to the same pathogens, now
there is substantial evidence that leads us to that same
conclusion. There are many reasons for this increased risk, but the
major factor is that children's immune systems and the natural
protection against pathogens don't fully develop until adulthood.
With the increased risk, crowding in schools, the fact that
children have frequent hand-to-mouth and object-to-mouth contact,
etc., make it very important to understand what environmental
sources present the most important risks for infection.
A surprisingly inefficient way of transferring diseases is
direct person-to-person transfer from sneezes and coughs.
Conversely, the transfer of human microbial pathogens to a surface
or material that is touched by many other individuals, known as
highly touched objects (HTO's), in the course of their daily lives
and to allow each individual's touch-to-mouth or
touch-to-hand-to-mouth practice spread the infection is highly
efficient.
The big questions are (1) whether or not microbial
pathogens can survive on these surfaces, (2) which surfaces have
the highest probability of holding microbial contamination and (3)
how can they be best removed? Within the last few years these
questions have been addressed through studies and highly touted
papers.
1. It was determined that common pathogens may persist on
surfaces for times ranging from two hours to more than four
years.
2. With a wide variety of data recovery methods, results of
these studies are difficult to determine, however a number of
general conclusions can be made. Restroom floors and walls do not
rank at the top of the list, most directly related to the idea that
most cleaning efforts are focused there. Highly ranked HTO surfaces
include the following: Children's playground equipment, faucets,
armrests, phones and importantly computer keyboards. In schools,
the previously mentioned HTO's were most contaminated with
bacteria, while desktops, faucet handles and paper towel dispensers
were most contaminated with viruses. Most importantly, the study
showed that contamination levels had a strong positive correlation
with student absenteeism due to illness. So in the case of schools,
HTO's can be efficient in spreading person-to-person and
person-to-home microbial contamination.
3. While creating the best method for disinfection of HTO's is
ideal, it is not easily obtained. A good example is the common
method of applying a disinfectant as a liquid from a wiper. It has
been determined that wipers vary greatly in their ability to
release disinfectants to surfaces. In particular, microfiber-based
wipers have shown to release far more disinfectants than their
cheaper less effective cotton rag counterpart.
HTO's can be an efficient way of spreading infections within
schools and from schools to homes. The physical and organizational
tools that can be used to clean and disinfect HTO's and to monitor
the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfection are well known
and available. What is required is the knowledge that to implement
and use these tools.
For more information on Cardinal Building Maintenance, Inc.
contact us at 708.385.3575 or info@cardbldgmnt.com