In this age of special concern for health and hygiene, antibacterials are becoming a regular feature of people ‘ s lives, ranging from handwashing, cleaning, to disinfection in medical facilities, as if they were in place. There is, however, a misconception that antibacterials can work best under any environmental conditions. This has led many people to relax their vigilance in the use of antibacterials, while many of the risks are buried.
The family of antibacterial agents, common in alcohol, chlorine and ammonium salt, each with a unique “bacterial insulation”. Alcohol-based antibacterial agents, such as medical alcohol, which use alcohol to degenerate bacterial proteins, quickly infiltrate into the cell during contact with bacteria, disrupt the normal structure of proteins, render bacteria inactivated and widely applied to scenes such as skin disinfection; and chlorine-containing antibacterial agents attack the cytowalls, cell membranes of bacteria, break them down, internal matter drains, and destroy bacteria by means of strong oxidation, as in the case of chlorine disinfection in the pool. Under the ideal conditions set by laboratories, they do effectively suppress or destroy specific pathogens and demonstrate great power.
However, real life is much more complex than laboratory life, and the effects of environmental factors on microbacterial agents are significant. Temperature is a key variable. In the case of alcohol, for example, the best fungicide concentration is generally between 70 and 80 per cent, and when environmental temperatures are low, the volatility of alcohol slows, the molecular activity decreases, and the ability to permeate bacteria is significantly reduced, with a consequent decrease in microbicide. In cold winters, it is difficult to use the desired hand sterilisation if the alcohol antibacterial shampoo is placed in an outdoor low-temperature environment. At high temperatures, the volatilisation of the active chlorine ingredient is accelerating and concentrations are unstable, not only to reduce the persistence of the fungicide, but also to the extent that excess chlorine residues can irritate human respiratory, skin and health.
Humidity should also not be overlooked. In the moist southern moist season, air moisture is often as high as 80 per cent, and bacteria thrive in this wet environment. At this time, antibacterial agents are used, the moisture is diluted, and wet surfaces are susceptible to the formation of water membranes, hindering the full exposure of antibacterial agents to bacteria and reducing their fungicide effectiveness. For example, cleaning of furniture with antibacterial detergents, which in high humidity are difficult to apply evenly, may cause bacteria to escape in the corner and continue to reproduce.
In addition, the material properties of the surface of an object can interfere with the functioning of anti-bacterial agents. The adsorption and permeability of different materials against microbacterial agents vary. Plastic materials are surface smooth and resistant to adsorbency and loss; and wood-based materials, which are porous, are easily permeable on the one hand, and antibacterial agents on the other hand, are easily absorbed and intercepted by the wood itself, are not in full contact with bacteria and are difficult to fully perform. Like plastic drops in hospital wards and wooden bedhead cabinets, when the same antibacterial spray is used to clean, the actual antibacterial effects of the two are quite different.
The complexity of microbial communities increases variables for the effects of antibacterial agents. There may be symbiotic, tenuous relationships between bacteria and fungi, which form complex communities around long-standing, incompletely clean environments, such as public garbage cans in old and old neighbourhoods. When antibacterial agents attack target bacteria, other micro-organisms may produce protective substances, alter local environmental alkalinity, etc., disrupt the antibacterial process, and significantly reduce the expected effects.
Recognition of the importance of antibacterials in “choice” environmental conditions. Both in the daily cleaning of households and in the specialized fields of medicine, food processing, etc., users need to take full account of temperature, humidity, materials, etc., and to make reasonable selection and correct use of antibacterials. In high-temperature, wet kitchens, for example, select antibacterial products that are high-temperature and not susceptible to humidity, and be careful to dry clean surfaces in a timely manner; in medical settings, use appropriate disinfection methods for different materials. Only then can antibacterial agents truly become good health-guarders rather than being “set” because of wrong use.
