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Hand Hygiene

CSEF · 2011 Microbiology (General)

Shreya Banerjee · Warren (Earl) Junior High School, Bakersfield, Kern County

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of my project was to find which brand of hand soap/sanitizer will kill the most bacteria. My hypothesis was that Dial soap would be the best and Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer would be the worst. Methods/Materials First, I created a culture medium for bacterial growth. From a commonly touched surface around the office, I transferred the possible bacteria to the culture medium using my fingertips. I repeated the process, but before inoculation, I clean my hands with either hand sanitizer or hand soap. Then, I observed bacterial growth for five days. I did not touch the culture medium during this period. Results The sample where the most bacteria grew was the Up & Up Hand Sanitizer and the sample where the least bacteria grew was Dial Soap. The hand soaps were generally better than the hand sanitizers. Conclusions/Discussion The hand soaps were generally better than the hand sanitizers.Dial brand handsoap was the best of all the tested brands. Hand washing with soap is extremely important in preventing the spread of disease. If soap is not available use hand sanitizer.

Summary statement

I tested different hand soaps and hand sanitizers to determine which one was the most effective in killing bacteria and therefore protecting health.

Help received

My parents helped me by editing my work, and Dr. Anupom Ganguli was the qualified scientist who supervised the project.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2011 Microbiology (General) · Entry J1502

Resources

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