CANADIANS RANK WELL IN GLOBAL HYGIENE HOME STUDY

However, study indicates Canadians don't target mould, bacteria hotspots

TORONTO, Sept. 28 /CNW/ - The Hygiene Council today announced the findings of its global 2010 Hygiene Home Truths Study sponsored by Lysol. The study, which assessed bacteria and mould samples taken from 180 homes in nine countries, revealed that Canadians rank among the top when it comes to practicing good hygiene habits at home - not surprising as 95 per cent of Canadian respondents spent more than two hours a week cleaning and 65 per cent of them use an antibacterial cleaner.

However, it wasn't a clean sweep as the study indicated Canadians neglect certain areas of the home - leaving bacteria and mould behind to fester - which increases the risk of cross-contamination and illness.

"What is apparent is that Canadians do clean, but not necessarily effectively enough by targeting specific areas with a method that really works," says Dr. Donald Low, Microbiologist-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and Canadian member of the Hygiene Council. "Practicing good hygiene through targeted disinfecting as well as regular hand washing is something we can all do to maintain a clean, healthy home environment."

Bacteria and mould
Canadians need to pay close attention when it comes to disinfecting mould and bacteria inside their fridges and on their bathroom seals (the plastic seal around the bath or shower) to help reduce the spread of illness in their home. Despite the fact 55 per cent of Canadian respondents cleaned their bath once per week and 30 per cent at least two-to-three times per week, the study found mould and bacterial contamination on the bathroom seal.

Furthermore, mould contamination was greater in Canadians' fridge interiors than in their bathrooms. This is worrisome because adults living in homes with high levels of mould report an increased incidence of asthma, respiratory infections and symptoms such as rhinitis, sore throat, cough and common cold.^1,2

"It's important that people understand mould spores in areas such as bathroom seals can have a detrimental effect on their health, even if they can't see them," says Professor John Oxford, chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, England. "This means that precautions need to be taken to reduce mould spores just as much as other germs that we might be more aware of."

Canadians must better disinfect these germ hotspots if they want to help stop the spread of bacteria and mould in their homes. For example, cleaning with a non-disinfectant product could simply spread bacteria and mould around the home rather than kill harmful organisms. Disinfectants are specifically registered with Health Canada and carry a Drug Identification Number (DIN) on the label.

E. Coli
The general kitchen towel was the dirtiest sample taken in Canadian households with 10 per cent of samples being highly contaminated with E. Coli. Dirty kitchen towels can potentially contaminate food contact surfaces and thus cause illness. It's important to wash kitchen towels at a high temperature - machine wash at above 60°C or use boiling water in a pot - in order to kill the bacteria.

Canadians and hand washing
The Hygiene Council's 2010 Hygiene Home Truths Study sponsored by Lysol indicates that Canadians must be washing their hands. The study points out that it's likely Canadians are practicing good hand washing habits given that 35 per cent of Canadians said they never clean their kettle handle and 25 per cent never clean their keyboard/mouse, but these were the cleanest samples taken in Canada. However, Canadians are confused on the benefits of hand washing. A recent national survey commissioned by Lysol revealed that 87 per cent of Canadians washed their hands to prevent the flu, but only 67 per cent saw regular hand washing as an effective way to prevent the spread of germs in the home. Thorough and regular hand washing is essential to combat both germs and flu spreading around the home.

"The recent global study conducted by the Hygiene Council shows that there is room for improvement when it comes to Canadians' understanding where germ hotspots are and the role targeted disinfection plays in helping prevent infections," says Debra Lynkowski, CEO of Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010.  "We applaud the Hygiene Council in its efforts to inform Canadians of ways to prevent the spread of germs and infectious diseases within their home."

About the Hygiene Council
The Hygiene Council, which was formed in 2006, is an initiative bringing together leading global experts in the field of microbiology, virology, infectious diseases, immunology and public health to formulate realistic and practical recommendations on simple hygiene measures to help the public improve levels of hygiene in the home and community and, in turn, help to prevent the spread of all kinds of infections. In 2011, the Hygiene Council has been invited to hold its meeting at the Centres for Disease Control headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The work of the Hygiene Council is funded through an educational grant from Reckitt Benckiser, the makers of Lysol. For further information, please visit the Hygiene Council website at www.hygienecouncil.com.

About Reckitt Benckiser
Reckitt Benckiser is a leading international consumer products company in the health and personal care, condiment and household categories. The company manufactures and markets world-class products, including: LYSOL®, CLEARASIL®, STREPSILS®, VEET®, FRENCH'S® Mustard and many other consumer-preferred brands. Reckitt Benckiser (Canada) Inc. is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

NOTES TO EDITORS
2010 Hygiene Home Truths Study sponsored by Lysol
The Hygiene Council visited 180 families across nine different countries who all agreed to take part in the study. Countries which took part were the U.K., U.S., Germany, Canada, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Australia and India. All the homes selected had at least two children aged 10 or under, including one child under the age of two, and were selected specifically to represent a cross section of socioeconomic backgrounds.

All homes in the study were swabbed for both bacteria and mould (four sites for bacteria only and two sites for bacteria and mould). The six sites swabbed included general kitchen towel, kettle handle, computer keyboard and mouse, push chair handle, bathroom seal and fridge interior. In addition to the swab taking, the microbiologist noted how clean surfaces looked to the eye; providing a useful comparison between apparent and actual dirt levels. Participating families also completed a questionnaire to gauge their attitudes and perceptions towards hygiene in general and their cleaning behaviours.

Further information please visit:

Reckitt Benckiser : www.rb.com

Lysol: www.lysol.ca

¹ Pirhonen et al. Home dampness, moulds and their influence on respiratory infections and symptoms in adults in Finland. Eur Resp J 1996;9:2618-2622.

² Norback et al. Current asthma and biochemical signs of inflammation in relation to building dampness in dwellings. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 1999;3:368-376.

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