Thought of the Day - March 3 2022 - Hand (in)Sanitizers

As you may have seen at the end of February there was yet another set of Canada-wide hand sanitizer recalls. It seems this time sanitizers have elevated levels of acetaldehyde that may increase the risk of cancer (and oh, by the way, acetaldehyde is one of the by-products of ethanol metabolization, one of the ones that gives you the hang-over).

The following products have been added to a growing list of recalled sanitizers:

• Rock Spirits / The Newfoundland Distillery Company is recalling Alcohol Antiseptic 80% (v/v) Topical Solution Hand Sanitizer as well as recalling their Fighting Spirit product.

• D&L Distribution and Logistic Services Inc. is recalling its Rapid Protectant Hand Sanitizer Gel.

I remember years ago when a troupe of us climbed Kilimanjaro. I was speaking to our guide, Stanley (what else), about the changes he had witnessed over the years. He said one of his big fascinations was that every few years the "Mzungu" (white tourists) would arrive with a brand new craze. Not sure what he was getting at, I asked him for some examples. "Well, a while back," he said, "all of a sudden people knew a bunch of Swahili words. Pumba, Hakuna Matata, etc." "Oh," I replied, "this was from a movie that we all saw with our children, The Lion King." His eyes opened wide "You mean you teach children Swahili in Canada?" he said. After we cleared that one up, and a few more beside, I asked what was the most recent thing. "As you know, before each meal we provide you with a bowl of hot water and some soap with which to wash," he said. "But now, for some reason, people are now bringing a little plastic bottle with them that contains some kind of ointment that they say is better. Do you not wash your hands in Canada anymore?" I let him know that he was right. Us Mzunga do get caught up in all kinds of unnecessary marketing trends. And yes, he should still continue to bring soap and hot water, over time this trend will pass too.

Let's hope I was right and that we can get rid of our obsession with hand-sanitizers, which has really gotten out of control with COVID.

Soap doesn't poison your kids you know - at least the kids that were punished for swearing seem no worse for wear.

Cheers

Cliff