I have a small Mediterranean tortoise for a pet. A friend wanted to hold him, which I permitted, but insisted that she wash her hands thoroughly after, which she thought was silly. She was away at school for a year, and when I saw her again, she looked as if she were recovering from illness. When I asked about it, she said that she had been bedridden for a month with salmonella and consequent complications. Pet reptiles are a common vector by which the salmonella organism reaches humans, and I worried that my animal might have infected her. She said, though, that she had handled three baby water turtles belonging to a friend at school and got sick soon after. Sure enough, she and the friend had both laughed about what they thought were exaggerated fears about such danger. Right now, I have friends, a married couple, to whom I have gently suggested that kissing their pet iguana is a bad idea. They think I’m being silly.
And who knows, there might be something on Lio’s hands that could cause problems for snakes or cephalopods. I don’t think the skull has to worry, though.
When I used to work night-shift at a nail-coating factory in my teenaged years, our machine’s crew would clean ourselves of accumulated plastic coating by dipping our hands into a 55-gallon drum of acetone (this was before it became generally known that acetone is not safe, being a possible carcinogen—fortunately, no ill effects after more than five decades).
Now, I do use hand sanitizer as a back-up to washing. How long before this is declared to be unsafe?
I have heard that the germs that are not killed by the hand sanitizer will mutate and become immune to the antibiotic soap that we use today. Life is a crapshoot ain’t it?
Templo S.U.D. over 7 years ago
Dad must’ve gotten that bottle from the Costco.
chris_weaver over 7 years ago
Lio, a one boy biohazard.
jimmjonzz Premium Member over 7 years ago
I have a small Mediterranean tortoise for a pet. A friend wanted to hold him, which I permitted, but insisted that she wash her hands thoroughly after, which she thought was silly. She was away at school for a year, and when I saw her again, she looked as if she were recovering from illness. When I asked about it, she said that she had been bedridden for a month with salmonella and consequent complications. Pet reptiles are a common vector by which the salmonella organism reaches humans, and I worried that my animal might have infected her. She said, though, that she had handled three baby water turtles belonging to a friend at school and got sick soon after. Sure enough, she and the friend had both laughed about what they thought were exaggerated fears about such danger. Right now, I have friends, a married couple, to whom I have gently suggested that kissing their pet iguana is a bad idea. They think I’m being silly.
Kaputnik over 7 years ago
And who knows, there might be something on Lio’s hands that could cause problems for snakes or cephalopods. I don’t think the skull has to worry, though.
marie410 over 7 years ago
Smart dad :)
Sisyphos over 7 years ago
Buy it by the barrel, Dad!
When I used to work night-shift at a nail-coating factory in my teenaged years, our machine’s crew would clean ourselves of accumulated plastic coating by dipping our hands into a 55-gallon drum of acetone (this was before it became generally known that acetone is not safe, being a possible carcinogen—fortunately, no ill effects after more than five decades).
Now, I do use hand sanitizer as a back-up to washing. How long before this is declared to be unsafe?Woody157 over 7 years ago
I have heard that the germs that are not killed by the hand sanitizer will mutate and become immune to the antibiotic soap that we use today. Life is a crapshoot ain’t it?