One of the measures that most infections prevent children is to wash their hands. Thanks to handwashing, many children (and adults) prevent the spread of diseases such as the cold, the flu and even hepatitis A. But nevertheless, the soap used in reusable dispensers could pose a health risk.
At home I do not know what the risk may be (in mine little because lately we buy soap with its own dispenser and when it finishes it goes to waste), but in public toilets, in hospitals, or in schools, where dispensers usually filling in the risk is greater.
Researchers at the University of Arizona, in the US, have concluded that filling soap dispensers with bulk soap can increase the number of pathogens in their hands and proof of this is the analysis they did in a public school.
In that school, the scientists analyzed the refillable containers, in which neither the mouthpiece nor the soap container is changed, and showed that a large number of them was contaminated. The reason is that there is always a little soap left in the bottom that is not discarded, enough for bacteria to accumulate.
The researchers analyzed the levels of microorganisms in the hands of some children before and after washing their hands and found that the number of gram-negative bacteria had multiplied by 26 after washing with contaminated soap. In addition, they observed that hand germs can be transferred directly to school surfaces, helping their spread.
As a solution, the contaminated soap dispensers were tested for airtight cartridges with a new nozzle where the soap comes out. At the time it was finished it was exchanged for a new cartridge with its new nozzle. After a year using this system none of them was contaminated.
Concluding, do not fill the house soap dishes or, occasionally, give it a good wash. If you go to a public place where there are soap dishes that are filled with bulk soap, know that they could be contaminated.
Of course one does not know what to do ... if you do not wash your hands you can take a mobile with fecal bacteria and, if you wash them, you can take your hands up to 26 times more contaminated than before washing them. Ok, I already have it: I cut my hands.
