You may not have met one in person, but microbes are everywhere! Theyβre on us, in us and around us.
There’s loads of information to learn about microbes. But here’s some quick, fun facts about them:
1) The toilet handle in most public bathrooms has 400 times more germs than the toilet seat does.
2) Botox is a deadly bacterial toxin that’s used in very small doses to remove wrinkles.
3) Some dentists say that your toothbrush should be kept at least 2 metres away from the toilet to avoid air-borne particles from the flush. You would need a pretty large bathroom for that!
4) An infectious diseases expert called Dr Winkle Weinberg thinks that if we have a cold and then cough, the virus particles can travel at 320 kilometres an hour. That’s faster than a passenger jet plane taking off!
5) The largest organism in the world, when measured by area, is the Honey Mushroom fungus. It covers a huge 8.9 square-kilometres of a forest in the USA.
6) According to Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist in Arizona, the bathroom is cleaner than the kitchen in most houses. He says you’re safer making a sandwich on top of the toilet bowl than in the kitchen.
7) The dirtiest spots in the kitchen are dishcloths, cutting boards, sponges, and sink handles. Strangely, the floor is normally cleaner than the sink!
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