Idaho Teacher’s Experiment Showcases What Happens To Bread When You Touch It With Dirty Hands
Friday, December 27, 2019 IST
Flu is causing havoc in the United States again as the flu season has begun. To teach her kids some valuable lesson, Jaralee Annice Metcalf of Idaho Falls, Idaho, did a simple experiment. She did a moldy experiment to show the importance of clean hands. Even though it is said that vaccines are the best prevention for flu, there is one more hack. Properly washing your hands may prevent the flu too.
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Jaralee conducted a science experiment using bread that proves this. She and her pupils took 5 bread slices and 5 polythene bags, one for each slice. They touched one slice with soiled hands and another with a hand, sanitized using a sanitizer. The third slice was touched with hands cleaned using soap and water. The fourth slice was smeared through a Chromebook while the last slice was left clean and untouched. Each slice was tightly sealed in polythene bags separately and kept undisturbed for 3-4 weeks.
The results were like this: except for the slices left untouched and the one touched with soap-washed hands, all other caught mold. Surprisingly, even the slice touched with hands cleaned with a hand sanitizer also showed mold growth. The one which was touched with soiled hands and the slice swept over the Chromebook suffered the worst.
Metcalf posted the results on her Facebook account saying that washing hands can have no alternative. Not even hand sanitizer does the job right. This experiment sure proves that washing your hands may prevent the flu.
Florida sees flu peaking in January, while for all other states the peak time is December. But this year even Florida is seeing a rise in flu cases among children in December itself. This was said by the Florida Department of Health.
While this experiment was not a properly controlled scientific one, it still drove home the point. Dr. Michael Wiese from Hillsborough also added that flu vaccine is, however, very important. No doubt that washing your hands may prevent flu, but the vaccine prevents the serious effects of flu from occurring.
Another important lesson it teaches people is that hand sanitizer is not a solution to all problems. It has its perks, the safest option is still washing your hands with water. This experiment by this school teacher is worth taking note of.
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