SAN ANTONIO — Kids are heading back to school and as most of us know, that means more chances to spread germs. In tonight's Verify we discover what item your youngster brings to and from school can carry the most bacteria.
Germs can lurk almost anywhere. Not just on our bodies but on non-living objects as well.
THE QUESTION
|Is it true that the backpack is the one of the germiest things that a child brings to and from school?"
THE SOURCES
- Dr. Mandie Tibball Svatek, a pediatric hospitalist with University Health and Associate Professor with UT Health San Antonio
- Chris Pritchett, an Associate Professor with the Department of Microbiology at East Tennessee State University
THE ANSWER
TRUE
WHAT WE FOUND
Dr. Svatek said backpacks are a perfect place for germs to be transferred from one child to another. She told us, "Lots of hands go into the backpack. The lunchbox goes into the backpack and you are exchanging items with friends or just getting your hands on different things, putting them in your mouth. All of that hand touching all of those items can take bacteria and then transfer them to the backpack."
Pritchett echoed what Dr. Svatek had to say with, "There's lots of nooks and crannies in a backpack and because there's lots of nooks and crannies they pick up some of the bacteria on the floor whether it's on the bathroom or school room floor. Then there's always the potential that they're bringing some of that home."
So yes, it is true. The backpack is the one of the germiest things that a child brings to and from school.
Dr. Tibball Svatek recommended wiping down the backpack daily and making sure your child carries sanitizer as well.