Take Cover! Dirt in “Safe” Places!

           Last year officials installed a number of hand sanitizing stations in classrooms around campus. With campus and commuter life combining at City College, from the constant interactions and exchanges we have with one another, we are constantly exposed to different viruses every day. Now that flu season is already here in full swing, it is important that we protect ourselves from such bacterium which means cleanliness is a must in order to keep students healthy and efficient. 

A student reporter for The Pride, student newspaper of the University of California at San Marcos, recently ranked the dirtiest places on that campus. The top spot was the drinking fountain. According to the article, the drinking fountain was not only found to harbor up to 2.7 million bacteria at a single station, but it was also labeled by NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company™, as being dirtier than a public toilet which only contained an average of 49 bacteria. “That is kind of frightening,” stated Katherine Matos, 21, a rising senior at Pratt Institute. “I would’ve guessed public toilets would have come first on that list.”

Surprising to many, the drinking fountain is posted as the dirtiest place on a campus because of its characteristics. Water fountains are constantly wet and, noted the Pride article; wet surfaces are a breeding ground for bacteria such as E. coli and staphylococcus. Not to mention, it consists of your most vulnerable body part being in contact with such a dirty surface—your mouth.

To top off the dirtiest list:

2. Classrooms: Desks in class harbor 20 times the amount of bacteria than a regular workplace desk does.

3. Restroom doors:  They’re the one place everyone has to touch.

4. Stairway rails: Bacteria survive for a longer amount of time on metal than on wood because it is a non-porous surface. This means metal cannot absorb water or liquids the way wood can and because absorption cannot occur on non-porous surfaces, we are more susceptible to coming in contact with the bacteria.

5. Vending machines. They also feature a non-porous surface where bacteria can live on for long amount of times. And when combined with money, which gets very dirty from constantly circulating into the hands of others, you find yourself with no chance of protection.

To help keep students, faculty and staff germ-free, officials installed new hydration stations in the Marshak Science Center and the NAC. These systems provide chilled, filtered tap water free of charge and will help to reduce CCNY’s carbon footprint. Fortunately for CCNY students, they also prevent students from coming in contact with a non-porous or potentially threatening surface.

“Call me a germaphobe, but I wash my hands every chance I get,” says Elizabeth Mohamad, a tutor at CCNY’s Writing Center. “That’s exactly why I’m happy to see they put in the Hydration Station water systems. It helps that you don’t even have to touch the station.”