Aerosols and Birthdays
It’s someone’s birthday and you are with a group of friends and family to celebrate this special day. You are all laughing, playing games, conversing and enjoying the day. And it has now come time to blow out the candles. Did you know that according to a study in the Journal of Food Research in May of 2017, it was determined that blowing out candles over that sweet delicious icing resulted in more than 1400% more bacteria than icing not blown on? According to the article, the respiratory tract has a chance of being colonized with pathogenic organisms that can then be aerosolized by an infected individual by breathing, coughing, or blowing.
So the next time you are celebrating any occasion involving extinguishing flames by means of your respiratory tract, think twice about how much bacteria and microorganisms can be spread on the dessert by you to be consumed by others.
If you would like to know more about aersolos, check out one of these articles by Michelle Strange, RDH
https://www.todaysrdh.com/dentistrys-aerosols-giving-the-dangerous-bugs-the-attention-they-deserve/
Blog Post by: Lacy Walker, RDH
