At a time when health protection is receiving increasing attention, anti-bacterial wet towels are used as cleaning materials for many people. However, a common misperception that is considered to be the long-term use of antibacterial wet towels enhances the antibacterial capacity of the body is still prevalent. This view is totally wrong and requires our proper understanding.
The main function of antibacterial wet towels is to inhibit or kill some of the micro-organisms that are exposed to them, such as bacteria and viruses, when they wipe the surface or skin of the object, through the antibacterial components they contain, such as alcohol, benzophthalmam, etc. However, this effect occurs only in the instantaneous and local context and does not fundamentally increase the ability of humans to resist bacteria in their own immune systems. The resistance of the human body to bacteria is a complex biological process that relies mainly on the synergy of various components of the immune system, such as white cells, antibodies, immunocellors and the integrity of physical barriers such as skin, mucous membranes. The long-term use of anti-bacterial wet towels cannot have a substantial reinforcement of these built-in immune mechanisms.
Conversely, there are many disadvantages to the long-term use of anti-bacterial wet towels. First, overuse of anti-bacterial wet towels may disrupt the normal microbial community balance on the skin surface. Skin is not an sterile environment, but is inhabited by a large number of beneficial micro-organisms, which are constrained and interdependent, creating a delicate ecological balance that can help to protect against invasive alien pathogenic micro-organisms. The frequent use of antibacterial wet towels, in particular products containing powerful antibacterial agents, can indiscriminately kill these beneficial bacteria, thereby destroying micro-ecological barriers in the skin, and thus providing opportunities for some harmful bacteria that are otherwise usefully suppressed to breed in large numbers, leading to skin infections, allergies, etc. For example, the long and frequent use of anti-bacterial wet towels by some shows signs of skin itching, red spots, and rinsing, most likely due to micro-ecological imbalances in the skin.
Second, the long-term use of anti-bacterial wet towels may lead to bacterial resistance. The antibacterial components in antibacterial wet towels are like antibiotics, and long-term use can create a selective pressure on bacteria. Bacteria with drug-resistant genes are more likely to survive and reproduce in such an environment, and have evolved into drug-resistant strains. Once these drug-resistant bacteria cause infection, treatment becomes more difficult, as conventional antibacterial drugs may be ineffective. Such resistance not only affects the health of individuals, but can also spread among populations, leading to a wider public health crisis.
In terms of actual clean-up effects, anti-bacterial wet towels are not everything. For some persistent viruses, such as the Norolike virus, the disinfection of antibacterial wet towels may not be ideal. In such cases, the correct hand washing method and the use of specialized disinfectants may be more effective. Moreover, not all bacteria are harmful in the day-to-day environment, and the excessive pursuit of “bacterial” environments is detrimental to the normal development and functioning of the human immune system.
How, then, should we use antibacterial wet towels correctly? Antibacterial wet towels should be used primarily in special situations, such as simple cleaning and disinfection of hands without hand-washing conditions; or local wipes after exposure to public goods, such as elevator buttons, door handles, to reduce possible bacterial contact. However, it must not be used on a permanent and frequent basis as a daily tool to enhance the body ‘ s resistance to bacteria.
The long-term use of anti-bacterial wet towels does not enhance the anti-bacterial capacity of the body, but may lead to a range of health and environmental problems. We need to understand correctly the functionality and limitations of anti-bacterial wet towels, to use them rationally and to avoid falling into the wrong zone in order to maintain our own health and public health security.
