Our group chose the local Marathon gas station right across from the USF campus because it is a very high traffic gas station due to it's location. Everyone touches either a gas pump or a door at the gas station, which are both easy venues for transmitting bacteria. We saw dirty gas pumps as a Public Health Issue because they are something almost everyone cannot avoid, unless you're an avid bike rider! By increasing awareness of how easy it is to come in contact with others' germs we thought it would instill a little fear (or disgust!) to our readers and convince them to wash their hands ASAP after filling their tank.Ever wonder what people were doing before they got out of their car to pump their gas? A trip to our local Marathon on Fletcher sparked our interest! One thing that came to mind when looking around at other drivers is nose picking! The probability that a nose-picker has sanitized their hands post-pick is slim-to-none, which increases the chances that you've grabbed a gas pump full of infectious bacteria such as Staphylococcus Aureus, the main pathogen of "Staph Infections", or even worse, Streptococcus Pyogenes which will give you a nasty case of "Strep Throat". Don't think you're that unlucky? How many times have you been rushing to class or work, grabbed some delicious Wendy's chicken nuggets on the go, and then "beep!", your gas light comes on? Naturally, you stop and pump gas, hop back into your car and dig into those tasty nuggets. Well, you just got a side of Strep and didn't even have to pay for it!
After only being at the Marathon for a few minutes, we counted about 22 cars in the parking lot. Assuming most of those cars had just filled up we estimated that's about 2 people touching each pump per 10 minutes. Multiply that by 24 hours and you've touched the same gas pumps as well over 1,000 other strangers! Just think about the mom who just changed her baby's diaper, the little boy who just got sent home from kindergarten for having a snotty nose, or the fisherman coming back from the Bay who's just had his hands in smelly bait all day! It's pretty gross when you stop and think about it.
Considering there are no wipes or hand sanitizer stations near the gas pumps, if you want to keep driving your car you're going to have to be more mindful of what you do with your hands after you pump gas. Some may say you could go as far as wearing gloves, but the more realistic solutions might be: washing your hands, using sanitizing gel or wipes as soon as possible after pumping gas, or holding the pump with a Clorox or baby wipe while filling up. And of course you could avoid picking your nose for the sake of other's health too! ;)
The gas station is a great area for a Public Health issue. I never really thought about how dirty the pump handle would be. I don’t even want to think about what people are doing with their hands before they go and touch the pump. I agree that gas stations should start adding more hand sanitizing mechanisms such as hand sanitizers or even plastic gloves. Anything that will help reduce the spread of dangerous pathogens is a good Public Health issue, great idea guys .
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this blog: It had me laughing and cringing at the same time. I had actually considered the risk of exposure to pathogens associated with handling a gasoline pump before I read this, and I always carry hand sanitizer with me in order to reduce/eliminate this risk. I, however, doubt many people think about this. It is, therefore, a huge public health issue, especially when you consider that many people will go inside and grab a bite to eat right after pumping up their car. Your post is spot on, and we could all use a law requiring hand sanitizer to be located at every pump!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great public health issue and I really enjoyed the post. It reminds me of a cartoon I watched called Invader Zim where he ordered special goggles so he could see all the germs. He ended up having to take them off because everything he touched was covered in germs and he was going crazy. Thanks to your blog I will be grossed out every time I touch anything that anyone else could have touched. I already have a compulsion against touching escalator rails because no one cleans those things ever.
ReplyDeleteThis is the craziest thing ever!!! I was watching Dr. Oz one morning and he said that a person's car is the place with the most germs for them. How many times have you dropped something on your car floor and picked it up, there is so much fecal matter and bacteria on floor mats! After that episode I rushed to Target and purchased a little can of Lysol and hand sanitizer to keep in my cup holder so every time I get in the car I spray my steering wheel. I'm so glad you all pointed this out, now I'm going to be worried about boo boo diapers and booger gas pumps every time I pump gas!!!
ReplyDeleteI think about this EVERY time I go to the gas station...the boogers, not necessarily, but germs, yes. I try to use hand sanitizer or get whoever I'm with to pump my gas for me. And if I don't have access to either I wash my hands right afterward. My little sister always has her hands near her face and mouth and it drives me crazy to think about where her hands have been that have touched other people's hands. It's disgusting. I like it when the gas stations have the paper towels next to the pumps so that I can hold the handle with it instead. I think that it is great idea to reduce the spread of illnesses.
ReplyDeleteWow! I never really took into consideration how dirty gas pumps really are. The thing I fear the most about a gas station is the stinky bathroom, but now I will pay more attention. I will definitely keep a spare bottle of hand sanitizer in the glove compartment to clean my hands after pumping gas.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I've never thought about how unsanitary a gas pump can be. This is most definitely a public health issue. I think gas stations should seriously consider placing hand sanitizer stations at every pump. They're showing up in all sorts of public areas now, so why not at gas stations? Until then, I'll be sure to keep my personal hand sanitizer in my car.
ReplyDeleteWITH AS MUCH MONEY THE GAS PEOPLE ARE GAUGING US FOR IT i THINK A LITTLE HAND SANITIZER WOULDN'T BE TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR.
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