When you go shopping at the mall, are you also shopping for your next bout with cold or flu? If you stop to think about how many people touch an escalator handrail at the mall, or at an airport, it shouldn’t shock you to find out how germy they are.
A LifesScript.com article cited a 2005 International Journal of Environmental Health Research published study that showed 19 percent of sampled escalator handrails across the country had high bacteria contamination. Yuck!
How can you beat it and not get sick? If you’re not confident enough on the moving staircase to risk riding hands-free, you could instead use hand sanitizer or wash hands after using an escalator. Or you could just take the stairs--less people use them, so there likely could be less germs, and you could be giving your heart a little boost of exercise. Win-win!
Do you have a question about preventing sickness? Check out EmpowHER’s pages. Sign-up, post a question, share your story, connect with other women in our groups and community, and feel EmpowHERed!
Resource:
LifeScript.com: Avoid Getting Sick: Top 8 Germiest Public Places Exposed
EmpowHER: What Is Wrong With This Picture?
Christine Jeffries is a writer/editor for work and at heart, and lives in a home of testosterone with her husband and two sons. Christine is interested in women’s health and promoting strong women.