Should Smartphone Germs Scare You?

Your smartphone may be responsible for germs and viruses that cause respiratory or diarrhea illnesses, says a study out of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, reported in the Winnipeg Free Press today.

 Should you be seeing little germs crawling all over your phone?


Smartphones are considered particularly suspect because people touch the screens with their hands.  That's according to Timothy Julian, a post-doctorate environmental health sciences student at the school.  

The next question would then be, whether people are washing their hands enough during the day, whether they are touching toilet seats (a real harbour of germs) public railings, door knobs and kitchen counters.  Do they cough into their hands?

I just wiped my cellphone with an anti-bacterial wipe, and then figured I better wipe the inside and outside of the carrying case as well.  That led to wiping all the phones in the house, and the computer keyboards.  The germ hunt is on!


On the encouraging side, other studies have shown a high percentage of smartphones have a low bacteria count.

The reality, according to John Envil, director of the infection prevention and control unit at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, is we can become paralyzed by the fear of germs on cellphones, but the reality is they are there, they're part of life everywhere - and you can't avoid them.


Whatever the concensus of the various studies, this is a reminder to clean the surfaces of devices you use throughout the day.  Also, build your immune system with healthy eating, exercise and optimal nutritional supplementation.   I choose the USANA supplements, produced by the authors of The Healthy Home book.


Deanna Waters    www.thehealthyhomesite.com
1-888-320-8250  Don't let one more day go by without the protection of the USANA health program!
USANA Global Leader

Canada Has Cleanest Air, but Dirty Air Inside says The Healthy Home book

Good news for Canadians and our visitors who spend time outdoors here.  According to a recent World Health Organization study, Canada's urban air quality ranks among the best in the world.  (They didn't measure the air inside our homes and office though, which would fare much worse.)  Read on.


In fact, 8 of the Top 10 least polluted cities are Canadian (out of 91 countries and 1,100 cities).  That's impressive.  Air pollution levels begin to pose health risks once they exceed 20 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the WHO.


Which Canadian cities will give you the cleanest breath of air? 

Whitehorse in the Yukon was number one with only 2.9 micrograms (compared to the worst city, Ahwaz in Iran with a level of 372).  While the agency blames pollution for an estimated 1.34 million premature deaths each year, the Canadian figure was just 2,400 deaths.


Other clean air cities in Canada:  Nanaimo, Terrace, Nelson, Corner Brook and Fredericton.  The highest pollution level in Canada, was Sarnia at 21.2 while all other urbane cities ranked below that.


But what about the air inside our homes and businesses?  Read about it in The Healthy Home book...


On page 52:  "According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Americans (and we assume Canadians too)  spend 90 percent of their time indoors - at home or in offices.  And while we're there, we're breathing air that is usually two to five times more polluted with organic pollutants than outdoor air.  We don't need to ask how they got in either.  We paint, spritz, and spray these pollutants, also known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) all over our rooms."


On page 54:  "Without substantial airflow through open windows or efficient exhaust vents, the products used in the bathroom - such as perfumes, nail polishes and removers, hairsprays and air fresheners - accumulate in an invisible cloud that floats in over the bed and hangs there."


How do we keep our air clean inside the home and office?  The Healthy Home book gives many suggestions:

1.  Open windows 15 minutes a day throughout the house.
2.  Air your dry cleaning outside before hanging it in the closet, or use PERC free dry cleaners.
3.  Switch to safe products for cleaning.....see the list in the book and the website. 



Deanna Waters   
Contact me for the list of USANA products that detoxify
and provide healthy alternatives for your home and body.
1-888-320-8250