Foo - Have we really become this germophobic?

I walked to my children's school yesterday afternoon to pick them up. As I was walking past the playground, I noticed a custodian with large gloves, a spray bottle and a sponge. Apparently a child had fallen on the concrete, gotten a bloody knee and bled on the sidewalk. He was trying to sanitize the sidewalk. :eek: Seriously?!? This is how sterile we have become? We have to sterilize the sidewalk if a child falls and gets a couple of drops of blood on it? It is outside!!! :wtf:

Sterilize or trying to get it to look less blood-stainy?

I've seen that in businesses. In a lot of places, blood is considered a toxic fluid and there is a policy and procedure guide in decontaminating areas where even small drops of blood such as from a nosebleed were sprayed.

You should see how some parents react if they see some dog crap in a field. In the good ol' days, kids would just tromp right in the stuff and drag it in the house/school.

I haven't; I frolic in the germs. Your results may vary.

Sterilize or trying to get it to look less blood-stainy?

Definitely sterilizing. Following OSHA protocol for sanitizing an area contaminated with body fluids.


I've seen that in businesses. In a lot of places, blood is considered a toxic fluid and there is a policy and procedure guide in decontaminating areas where even small drops of blood such as from a nosebleed were sprayed.

I can see cleaning the floor of an office building. Even spraying the sidewalk down with a hose to clear the major stain. But sanitizing the sidewalk? Good grief! Back in the day, we might not have even told a teacher about a scraped knee that was a little bloody. Now we have to sterilize the child, their clothing, and the playground.

Definitely sterilizing. Following OSHA protocol for sanitizing an area contaminated with body fluids.
I guess you'd need to know what OSHA defines as work space. If the sidewalk is on school property, then they might be required to treat this as any other type of work place contamination.

If they don't follow these standards and get called on it, then they will only be in a worse position when Mom and Dad file a lawsuit because Timmy got hepatitis from another student while at school.

All of our sanitizing today is making the super bugs that we will not be able to kill or control tomorrow.

All of our sanitizing today is making the super bugs that we will not be able to kill or control tomorrow.
I do my part by never washing my water bottles unless they are slimy or taste terrible. Then I use the highly effective method of filling them with hot tap water and shaking vigorously for about 30 seconds. They get this deluxe treatment maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

its everything now, we have an advert here for antiseptic hand wipes, the scene is a mother and child on the bus, child has a bag of crisps (potato chips i think you call them) in one hand, and holding on the the hand rail with the other hand, mother produces anti septic wipes from the handbag the clean childs hands before he opens the bag of crisps

when i was a kid there was none of this, we built up an imunity to bugs and germs, we were healthy, we were exposed to this and no antiseptic gels, cloths, soaps to clean up with, antibiotics handed out like sweeties for a runny nose, etc etc,

ok, in certain setting and environments, granted, but in everyday life, i dont think so

This over sanitizing everything is one of the reasons I like tramping (hiking) so much.

You get dirty, occasionally bruised and scratched and it's all good fun and there is no-one spraying chemical over everything. Unless you do something seriously stupid it won't kill you. If you do do something seriously stupid, well you had it coming.

They worry about a drop of blood but the metric ton of goose **** is just fine to leave in the grass?

They worry about a drop of blood but the metric ton of goose **** is just fine to leave in the grass?
And don't get me started on the dirt beneath the grass. All kinds of bugs and germs in that. We should be cleaning that stuff up...

You should see how some parents react if they see some dog crap in a field. In the good ol' days, kids would just tromp right in the stuff and drag it in the house/school.

and you are nostalgic for poo rolling?

We came home one weekend to find huge "white" spots on our front walk.

Apparently a man had stopped at the stop sign in front of our house, began to feel ill, gotten out of his car, and had a siezure of some sort on our front walk. He busted his head open in the fall/siezure and bled quite a bit, according to neighbors.

The fire department/EMS responded and treated the man, transported him to hospital and cleaned up our front walk with bleach and a fire hose we were told.

Maybe it is required by city code, etc for a school/daycare to do such a cleanup.

Imagine the furor that would erupt if word got out that your son's classmates were playing in blood.

I would only be concerned about any germs that came from UA's blood. Those could be lethal.

Was he the one that bled acid or am I thinking of someone else?

all children should be in a bubble.

Was he the one that bled acid or am I thinking of someone else?

I think that was Explody Pup. As he has not been seen around these parts in quite some time, I fear jsharr may have injected lye into his veins.

When my sister in the States died and was found several days later by law a haz-mat team had to be called in to clean up, to the tune of several thousands of dollars. When I found my dead neighbor here in Latvia after several days a mop, bottle of bleach, and a bucket was all that was needed......

My daughter works at an amusement park and they have the same policy for blood. The area has to be shut down and sanitized. There are too many issues associated with handling blood these days, and children will touch anything and put their hands in their mouths.

If a sick child was injured and bled on the school property, and then another kid touched it and picked up the disease, the school would be sued.

My daughter works at an amusement park and they have the same policy for blood. The area has to be shut down and sanitized. There are too many issues associated with handling blood these days, and children will touch anything and put their hands in their mouths.
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So what you're saying is that if you want to clear out a public area, all you need to do is give yourself a minor cut and bleed a little on something? Cool....

So what you're saying is that if you want to clear out a public area, all you need to do is give yourself a minor cut and bleed a little on something? Cool....

Yes. Throw-up and poop are not toxic on the sidewalk, only blood.

The nice thing about bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is that germs don't get immune to it because chlorine rips the proteins apart.

My daughter works at an amusement park and they have the same policy for blood. The area has to be shut down and sanitized. There are too many issues associated with handling blood these days, and children will touch anything and put their hands in their mouths.

If a sick child was injured and bled on the school property, and then another kid touched it and picked up the disease, the school would be sued.

Not to mention a very sick child. :(

HIV, hepatitis, I think the idea of cleaning up blood with bleach immediately is fabulous.


P.S. There's no such thing as germs. Viruses, bacteria, amoeba, yes, germs, no.

If you don't clean up the blood, it will attract zombies.

You don't want that...

The nice thing about bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is that germs don't get immune to it because chlorine rips the proteins apart.

you had me at immune.

Antibiotic soaps, surface wipes and waterless hand sanitizers are the ultimate Catch-22:

Somebody got sick, so scientists at Purell and Clorox and P&G invented these cleansers...
Which bred stronger, resistant strains of bacteria...
Which need to be killed with something, so we're back to the scientists making stronger sanitizers...
Which eventually are so strong that they're harmful to people (think: triclosan) so people stop using them...
And they get sick from the 'superbugs'...

Yes. Throw-up and poop are not toxic on the sidewalk, only blood.
Good to know. I will be sure to cut myself rather than poop on the sidewalk then...

If you don't clean up the blood, it will attract zombies.

You don't want that...

Hmm...Well, if we are keeping the zombies at bay, then I am all for it.

Good to know. I will be sure to cut myself rather than poop on the sidewalk then...

Just make sure your poop does not have blood in it.