To All: Men's Fitness, Febuary 1997, Pg 16.
>Sanitized for your protection
>Microbes, it seems, are scary. That's about the only way to explain the recent proliferation of anti-microbial products. Responding to new technology and a previously unknown market, Nike, O'Neill, Teva, and Playskool are all manufacturing goods spiked with the new anti-germ agents Microban and Microsafe. The treatments infuse plastic surfaces with a harmless coating spiked with microscopic "pins." If a bad bug touches the coating, it pops and dies.
Manufacturers claim the treatments will kill mold, mildew and fungi as well as E.coli, Salmonella, staph and strep bacteria, but research has not definitively established how quickly and completely the work. Nonetheless, germ-resistant products are big sellers. To meet the new demand, creative manufacturers are working on anti-microbial pillows, mattress pads, telephone receivers, toothbrushes, socks and towels.
Chris Parenti |
