Latest news with #microbes
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Germs: The dirtiest items are ones we might least expect but there are ways to protect yourself
One of the legacies of the Covid pandemic is an increased awareness of microbes. Many bacteria and viruses lurk on surfaces we touch everyday. Most are harmless, but a few of these bugs can make us seriously ill . Writing in The Conversation recently, Dr Manal Mohammed, senior lecturer in Medical Microbiology at the University of Westminister, looked at how some of the dirtiest items in our lives are ones we might least expect. With many of us travelling during the summer months, she highlighted the hidden dangers of items, such as hotel TV remote controls and airport security trays. I was surprised to read that hotel remote controls can be dirtier than toilet seats. Then again, they are rarely sanitised, with research showing they harbour common bacteria including E. coli and Staph. aureus. READ MORE So, how can we protect ourselves from becoming infected? We can either wipe the remote with an antibacterial wipe or place the remote in a transparent plastic bag before using it. Airport security trays are another source of potential infection. Despite being handled by hundreds of people daily, they are rarely cleaned. Research has found high levels of bacteria on the trays, including E. coli. And a study that looked for viruses on surfaces found in airports found that security trays had the highest concentration of respiratory viruses. Dr Niina Ikonen, a virology expert, and colleagues from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare collected surface and air samples from Helsinki-Vantaa airport. [ How your tongue and gait can give important clues as to your overall health Opens in new window ] Research has found high levels of bacteria on the airport plastic security trays, including E. coli. Photograph: Smith Collection/ Gado/ Getty Images Some 20 million passengers pass through Finland's busiest airport every year, making contact with surfaces such as armrests, escalator handrails, toys in the children's play area, trolley handles and luggage trays. Researchers swabbed these surfaces and tested them for viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. The results showed viruses were present on 10 per cent of the surfaces examined, with rhinoviruses - the culprit for the common cold - the most widespread. And while plastic security trays had the highest concentration of viruses, perhaps the most unusual positive swab location was the buttons on the credit card payment pad at the airport pharmacy. In terms of protection, either wash your hands after security or use hand sanitiser, especially before eating or touching your face. Shopping trolley handles are another potential source of infection. A US study found that more than 70 per cent of shopping trolleys were contaminated with coliform bacteria, a group that includes strains like E. coli, often linked to faecal contamination. A separate study found Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas species on trolleys. It would help if we could get into the habit of cleaning shopping trolley handles before use. Mobile phones have become a big part of travel, with airlines encouraging us to display boarding cards on their screens. Frequent handling and their warmth make them ideal for bacterial contamination. Research shows phones can carry harmful bacteria including Staph. aureus. Mohammed advises not using our phones in bathrooms and to clean them with a slightly damp microfibre cloth and soap. [ The way to a human's brain and immune system is through the gut Opens in new window ] Flushing a toilet releases a plume of microscopic droplets, which can land on nearby toothbrushes. Photograph: Getty Images When we are on the move, staying in hotels or Air BnBs, we have to use unfamiliar bathrooms. It's worth being careful how we store our toothbrushes in each new location as flushing a toilet releases a plume of microscopic droplets, which can land on nearby toothbrushes. Research found that toothbrushes stored in bathrooms can harbour E. coli, Staph. aureus and other microbes. If we rinse the toothbrush after each use, let it air-dry upright and store as far from the toilet as possible, we can protect ourselves from this source of microbes. Finally, take care if sharing nail and beauty tools with your travel companions. Nail clippers, cuticle pushers and other grooming tools can spread harmful bacteria if they're not properly cleaned. We can't avoid all germs. But with a few good habits you can help protect yourself and others. mhouston@
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Research project at Churchill facility raises alarm about potential impact of oil spill in Arctic waters
A natural remedy that has previously helped counter oil spills will be too slow to "do any useful work" if there's a spill in the Canadian Arctic, increasing chances of "catastrophic" harm, researchers say. Preliminary findings from the GenIce II research team, led by Eric Collins from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, suggest oil-degrading microbes respond very slowly to oil-contaminated Arctic waters. "We do see that it takes at least a few weeks or a month for the microbes to respond and actually start to break down the oil, and that's just too long in the case of a real oil spill," said Collins, who has a doctorate in biological oceanography and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services. In November, the GenIce II research team (GenIce is short for genomics and ice) began work at the $45-million observatory in Churchill, Man., to better understand and observe the potential impact of an oil spill in the Arctic marine environment. Collins said the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill served as a "wake-up call" for researchers to study the impact of "natural microbial communities" in oil-contaminated water. It is believed that during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, microbes cleaned up nearly 10 times more than humans did. The spill released more than half a billion litres of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over an 87-day period, killing thousands of marine species and contaminating the natural habitat. Collins's research team is focused on how microbes respond to oil in Arctic waters, as opposed to water in warmer regions like the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon spill happened. With the shipping season in the Hudson Bay extending due to melting Arctic ice and an expected increase in shipping and marine traffic through the bay, experts say the chance of an oil spill is increasing. An oil spill near the coastline is particularly concerning to Collins because the current circulation in Hudson Bay could spread the contamination all along the coastline, endangering the ecosystem and, in turn, surrounding communities, many of which depend on the natural environment for sustenance. Collins' team is conducting research at the new Churchill Marine Observatory — without which Collins says the GenIce II project "wouldn't be possible." "There's no way we would get permission to put oil directly into the water in order to test the effects of an oil spill on the Arctic community, so the fact that we have these large tanks that we can pump water from Hudson Bay into and do the experiments in a controlled setting is really important," Collins said. The facility runs seawater through a pumphouse into two pools where the experiments occur. One pool remains uncontaminated, while oil is placed in the other pool; after the experiment is complete, the oil is removed and the water is cleaned using an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and then released back into the ocean after a third party tests its cleanliness. Feiyue Wang, who heads the Churchill Marine Observatory, says the facility's ability to perform controlled experiments in natural Arctic waters is unique. Since plans for the facility were announced in 2015, it has captured the attention of international researchers, particularly from Arctic countries, Wang said — interest he expects will lead to more collaborative research with international partners. "We're [other Arctic countries] facing similar types of challenges and opportunities," said Wang, who has a doctorate in environmental geochemistry and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Chemistry. "What's happening in Hudson Bay is really just a forecast of what's happening elsewhere in the Arctic." According to a government study in 2022, over the past 30 to 40 years, it has taken three to four days longer each decade for ice to cover Hudson Bay fully. Over the course of each decade, the ice cover has started to break about five days earlier in spring. The ice cover in that inland sea has required more time to develop into a fully established ice cover (an increase of three to four days per decade). Ice break-up initiation has begun earlier in the Spring/Summer, i.e. that shift is estimated at about five days per decade. Wang says Hudson Bay is on track to be "essentially ice-free" by the end of the century. "As a country, as scientists, we want to get ahead of the potential issues," Wang said. "The observatory is really geared toward studying opportunities and challenges associated with socioeconomic development in a changing environment as the Bay becomes more open." The observatory became operational nearly 10 years after plans were announced and roughly six years after it was expected to be completed. Complications with ownership of the Port of Churchill, a major flood in 2017 that impacted the railway to Churchill, COVID-19 and the passing of David Barber, a key figure in the establishment of the facility, all led to delays in construction. The original location of the observatory changed after the Port of Churchill changed ownership. With help from the federal and provincial governments, the facility was built at a new location, which did garner some criticism from the community, because it was built on traditionally significant land. "We tried everything we could, including the input from the community, to try and minimize the disturbance to the landscape," Wang said. "So that is an ongoing dialogue, an ongoing collaboration that we'll be dealing with and working with the community to make sure that their concerns are addressed." Efforts are also being made to incorporate traditional Indigenous knowledge into the research being done at the marine observatory, Wang said. "They're an integral part of what we do," Wang said. "They know the lands, they know the ice, they know the marine ecosystem, and so we always work together." The GenIce II team also worked closely with the community in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, to help monitor the environment, watch for oil spills and research the responsiveness of Arctic microbes to oil. "Inuit people in Chesterfield Inlet are particularly worried about oil spills coming from ships that are going there to the mines in Baker Lake, where they're extracting gold," Collins said. "There's a lot of ship traffic up there, and if there was an accident, then that could release a lot of oil, and they depend on the animals that live in the water for their subsistence." The GenIce II research team is planning to build on their oil spill research with their next research trip to the marine observatory for this coming winter.
CBC
13-07-2025
- Science
- CBC
Research project at Churchill facility raises alarm about potential impact of oil spill in Arctic waters
A natural remedy that has previously helped counter oil spills will be too slow to "do any useful work" if there's a spill in the Canadian Arctic, increasing chances of "catastrophic" harm, researchers say. Preliminary findings from the GenIce II research team, led by Eric Collins from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, suggest oil-degrading microbes respond very slowly to oil-contaminated Arctic waters. "We do see that it takes at least a few weeks or a month for the microbes to respond and actually start to break down the oil, and that's just too long in the case of a real oil spill," said Collins, who has a doctorate in biological oceanography and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services. In November, the GenIce II research team (GenIce is short for genomics and ice) began work at the $45-million observatory in Churchill, Man., to better understand and observe the potential impact of an oil spill in the Arctic marine environment. Collins said the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill served as a "wake-up call" for researchers to study the impact of "natural microbial communities" in oil-contaminated water. It is believed that during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, microbes cleaned up nearly 10 times more than humans did. The spill released more than half a billion litres of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over an 87-day period, killing thousands of marine species and contaminating the natural habitat. Collins's research team is focused on how microbes respond to oil in Arctic waters, as opposed to water in warmer regions like the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon spill happened. With the shipping season in the Hudson Bay extending due to melting Arctic ice and an expected increase in shipping and marine traffic through the bay, experts say the chance of an oil spill is increasing. An oil spill near the coastline is particularly concerning to Collins because the current circulation in Hudson Bay could spread the contamination all along the coastline, endangering the ecosystem and, in turn, surrounding communities, many of which depend on the natural environment for sustenance. Collins' team is conducting research at the new Churchill Marine Observatory — without which Collins says the GenIce II project "wouldn't be possible." "There's no way we would get permission to put oil directly into the water in order to test the effects of an oil spill on the Arctic community, so the fact that we have these large tanks that we can pump water from Hudson Bay into and do the experiments in a controlled setting is really important," Collins said. The facility runs seawater through a pumphouse into two pools where the experiments occur. One pool remains uncontaminated, while oil is placed in the other pool; after the experiment is complete, the oil is removed and the water is cleaned using an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and then released back into the ocean after a third party tests its cleanliness. Feiyue Wang, who heads the Churchill Marine Observatory, says the facility's ability to perform controlled experiments in natural Arctic waters is unique. Since plans for the facility were announced in 2015, it has captured the attention of international researchers, particularly from Arctic countries, Wang said — interest he expects will lead to more collaborative research with international partners. "We're [other Arctic countries] facing similar types of challenges and opportunities," said Wang, who has a doctorate in environmental geochemistry and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Chemistry. "What's happening in Hudson Bay is really just a forecast of what's happening elsewhere in the Arctic." According to a government study in 2022, over the past 30 to 40 years, it has taken three to four days longer each decade for ice to cover Hudson Bay fully. Over the course of each decade, the ice cover has started to break about five days earlier in spring. The ice cover in that inland sea has required more time to develop into a fully established ice cover (an increase of three to four days per decade). Ice break-up initiation has begun earlier in the Spring/Summer, i.e. that shift is estimated at about five days per decade. Wang says Hudson Bay is on track to be "essentially ice-free" by the end of the century. "As a country, as scientists, we want to get ahead of the potential issues," Wang said. "The observatory is really geared toward studying opportunities and challenges associated with socioeconomic development in a changing environment as the Bay becomes more open." The observatory became operational nearly 10 years after plans were announced and roughly six years after it was expected to be completed. Complications with ownership of the Port of Churchill, a major flood in 2017 that impacted the railway to Churchill, COVID-19 and the passing of David Barber, a key figure in the establishment of the facility, all led to delays in construction. The original location of the observatory changed after the Port of Churchill changed ownership. With help from the federal and provincial governments, the facility was built at a new location, which did garner some criticism from the community, because it was built on traditionally significant land. "We tried everything we could, including the input from the community, to try and minimize the disturbance to the landscape," Wang said. "So that is an ongoing dialogue, an ongoing collaboration that we'll be dealing with and working with the community to make sure that their concerns are addressed." Efforts are also being made to incorporate traditional Indigenous knowledge into the research being done at the marine observatory, Wang said. "They're an integral part of what we do," Wang said. "They know the lands, they know the ice, they know the marine ecosystem, and so we always work together." The GenIce II team also worked closely with the community in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, to help monitor the environment, watch for oil spills and research the responsiveness of Arctic microbes to oil. "Inuit people in Chesterfield Inlet are particularly worried about oil spills coming from ships that are going there to the mines in Baker Lake, where they're extracting gold," Collins said. "There's a lot of ship traffic up there, and if there was an accident, then that could release a lot of oil, and they depend on the animals that live in the water for their subsistence."
The Independent
08-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
Why landscape fabric is often a bad idea for your garden
Landscape fabric may sound like a neat, tidy and easy solution to all your weeding woes, but, as often is the case, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. To be fair, landscape fabric has its place. Unfortunately, it's widely misused in most home landscape applications, where it does more harm than good in ornamental beds and around perennials and crops. The woven (or sometimes non-woven) synthetic (or sometimes biodegradable) barrier is meant to suppress weeds while allowing water and air to pass through to the soil beneath it. And that's exactly how it works -– for a short time, after which buyer's remorse almost always sets in. Before long, soil and other organic matter settle on top of the fabric, seeds find their way to the surface, and weeds begin to grow. Since their roots penetrate through the fabric, removing them becomes extremely difficult. Under the barrier, which restricts water and oxygen from reaching the soil and carbon from escaping, microbes, earthworms and other insects die, fertility declines and roots struggle. In perennial beds, the fabric creates heat pockets and impedes the spread and self-seeding of plants. In time, the fabric will shift and tear, and attempts to remove it will no doubt make you rue the day you had the bright idea to use it. Plastic sheeting is even worse, as it completely blocks water and air from reaching the soil, overheats roots and releases microplastics into the ground. There are exceptions, however. Landscape fabric can be helpful under gravel or stone paths or walkways, where it creates a barrier between the hardscape and the soil below. It can also help smother grass and weeds when used temporarily to help create a clean slate for future planting beds in areas that are difficult to clear. Still, I recommend using thick layers of newspaper or cardboard instead, as they biodegrade naturally and perform the same function without having to be removed. When your landscape fabric becomes a torn, weedy, root-tangled mess – and it will -- good luck removing it. The painstaking process involves slowly and carefully pulling up individual fragments of the fabric, which will be heavy under the soil, and cutting them away from around and between roots, which will have grown above, below and through the textile. Instead of shooting yourself in the foot with landscape fabric, opt for an organic mulch like shredded bark, wood chips or straw. It will regulate soil temperature and moisture, nourish the soil as it decomposes and support the soil life that supports your plants. Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer, keeping it away from trunks and stems, and refresh it when it breaks down. You'll still get a few weeds, but they'll pull up easily, roots and all. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
Associated Press
08-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Why landscape fabric is often a bad idea for your garden
Landscape fabric may sound like a neat, tidy and easy solution to all your weeding woes, but, as often is the case, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. To be fair, landscape fabric has its place. Unfortunately, it's widely misused in most home landscape applications, where it does more harm than good in ornamental beds and around perennials and crops. The woven (or sometimes non-woven) synthetic (or sometimes biodegradable) barrier is meant to suppress weeds while allowing water and air to pass through to the soil beneath it. And that's exactly how it works -– for a short time, after which buyer's remorse almost always sets in. Before long, soil and other organic matter settle on top of the fabric, seeds find their way to the surface, and weeds begin to grow. Since their roots penetrate through the fabric, removing them becomes extremely difficult. Under the barrier, which restricts water and oxygen from reaching the soil and carbon from escaping, microbes, earthworms and other insects die, fertility declines and roots struggle. In perennial beds, the fabric creates heat pockets and impedes the spread and self-seeding of plants. In time, the fabric will shift and tear, and attempts to remove it will no doubt make you rue the day you had the bright idea to use it. Plastic sheeting is even worse, as it completely blocks water and air from reaching the soil, overheats roots and releases microplastics into the ground. There are exceptions, however. Landscape fabric can be helpful under gravel or stone paths or walkways, where it creates a barrier between the hardscape and the soil below. It can also help smother grass and weeds when used temporarily to help create a clean slate for future planting beds in areas that are difficult to clear. Still, I recommend using thick layers of newspaper or cardboard instead, as they biodegrade naturally and perform the same function without having to be removed. When your landscape fabric becomes a torn, weedy, root-tangled mess – and it will -- good luck removing it. The painstaking process involves slowly and carefully pulling up individual fragments of the fabric, which will be heavy under the soil, and cutting them away from around and between roots, which will have grown above, below and through the textile. Instead of shooting yourself in the foot with landscape fabric, opt for an organic mulch like shredded bark, wood chips or straw. It will regulate soil temperature and moisture, nourish the soil as it decomposes and support the soil life that supports your plants. Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer, keeping it away from trunks and stems, and refresh it when it breaks down. You'll still get a few weeds, but they'll pull up easily, roots and all. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
