Adverts teach us that germs are the "enemy" and portray sparkling clean homes as the standard to aspire to. But the overuse of antibacterial cleaning sprays and soaps has raised concerns in recent years. Perhaps a little dirt doesn't hurt?
Many antibacterial products contain a chemical called triclosan. Some scientists have suggested that by using too many antibacterials at home, we are encouraging bacteria to become resistant to this chemical and mutate in to difficult-to-kill "super bugs". Researchers at Stanford University found that certain strains of bacteria such as E coli became hardier when exposed to triclosan over time.
"The results from our experiments indicate that constant exposure to triclosan can cause bacteria to tolerate it better and become more and more resistant," says the study author Clara Davis, a doctoral student.
Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, the founders of Method (an eco-friendly cleaning products company), say they have a "zero tolerance policy" on the liberal use of antibacterials.
"Cleaning and killing are two different things," explains Ryan. "There's a very serious reason for not wanting to kill bacteria. In the past few years, more and more types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been appearing. There are a number of theories for why this is happening and one of them points a finger at the frequent use of certain antibacterial agents. We play it on the safe side and avoid the use of these chemicals."
Others worry that if our homes are sterile environments, children will not be exposed to many germs and, as a result, their immune systems will not develop properly and more of them will suffer from allergies. This "hygiene hypothesis" was first proposed by Dr David Strachan in the British Medical Journal.
In his paper The Hygiene Hypothesis: Are Cleanlier Lifestyles Causing More Allergies For Kids?, the allergy expert Marc McMorris from the University of Michigan concludes: "We've developed a cleanlier lifestyle and our bodies no longer need to fight germs as much as they did in the past. As a result, the immune system has shifted away from fighting infection to developing more allergic tendencies."
There is also some discussion about whether or not antibacterial products are even effective for cleaning. In 2005, a team of scientists from the University of Michigan found no evidence to suggest that antibacterial soap reduced bacteria more than plain soap.
It's worth noting, too, that common colds and flus are not caused by bacteria but by viruses that aren't killed by antibacterial products.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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