Sandy hands may harbor bacteria

William Atkins
Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:13

Science - Health

A study performed by researchers of the U.S. Geological Survey found that beach sand contains bacteria from fecal matter and various viruses.



According to the July 2009 article in the Journal of Water and Health (“Hand-mouth transfer and potential for exposure to E. coli and F(+) coliphage in beach sand, Chicago, Illinois”), “Beach sand contains fecal indicator bacteria, often in densities greatly exceeding the adjacent swimming waters.”

The paper’s authors are R.L. Whitman, K. Przvhvla-Kelly, D.A. Shively, M.B. Nevers, and M.N. Byappanahalli, all of the U.S. Geological Survey at the Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station, Porter, Indiana.

The researchers studied the transfer of bacteria—specifically Escherichia coli (E. coli) and F(+) coliphage (MS2) (coliphage), which is a bacteriophage that infects E. coli—from beach sand to hands to find out the possible health risk involved in such an action.

They collected sand from a Chicago, Illinois beach on Lake Michigan. The sand was found to contain high levels of E. coli.

The researchers then “manipulated” (played) with the sand for one minute. Their hands were then rinsed and the water from the rinsing examined for E. coli and coliphage.

Page two reports the conclusions on the subject of beach sand and bacterial illnesses.