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To: 1Old Pro

If a person is at high risk of complications from a flu virus they should be making sure to avoid potential exposure to Covid-19. Which would mean taking extra precautions such as avoiding travel to certain places. For most healthy people following the standard mantra of, “wash your hands, use a tissue when sneezing, avoid sick people”,etc. should be enough.

And people might want consider raising the temperature on their water heater and line drying clothes in full sunlight whenever possible.


79 posted on 02/27/2020 9:00:01 AM PST by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: lastchance
people might want consider raising the temperature on their water heater

Amanda R. Carrico, a research assistant professor at the Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment, explained to National Geographic::

Carrico said, "It's certainly true that heat kills bacteria, but if you were going to use hot water to kill them it would have to be way too hot for you to tolerate."

She explained that boiling water, 212°F, is sometimes used to kill germs-for example, to disinfect drinking water that might be contaminated with pathogens. But "hot" water for hand washing is generally within 104°F to 131°F. At the high end of that range, heat could kill some pathogens, but the sustained contact that would be required would scald the skin.

Carrico said that after a review of the scientific literature, her team found "no evidence that using hot water that a person could stand would have any benefit in killing bacteria." Even water as cold as 40°F appeared to reduce bacteria as well as hotter water, if hands were scrubbed, rinsed, and dried properly.

In fact, she noted that hot water can often have an adverse effect on hygiene. "Warmer water can irritate the skin and affect the protective layer on the outside, which can cause it to be less resistant to bacteria," said Carrico.

116 posted on 02/27/2020 9:39:33 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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