Addressing All Your Inquiries On Our Product Line

To Our Followers:

At MyHandle, we strive to provide clear and accurate responses to questions based upon data from government agencies, licensed laboratories, major news outlets and other sources that we believe to be independent and reliable. We welcome the opportunity to learn about and update or correct any misstatement or error anywhere on our website.

FAQ ABOUT COVID VARIANTS

FAQ #V1: What is a COVID Variant?

FAQ #V2: Is the CDC worried about the endless string of new COVID Variants?

MHGB Response: Yes…they are very concerned. In The EIC (Energy Industries Council) interview on August 11, 2021, Rochelle Walensky (then the Director of the CDC) stated:

"What we saw with Delta is that it is mutated in a way that led to increased transmission. If you have increased transmission in the context of a lot of people vaccinated, the next potential way for it to mutate is to mutate to some benefit to outdo the vaccination." "When people ask the question, 'What keeps you up at night?' - those are the things that keep me up at night."

FAQ #V3: Are they changing the terms being used for COVID-19 Variants?

MHGB Response: Yes! Since no one can control the mutation process, they decided to change the terminology. Until September 20, 2021, the variants of all viruses fell into one of 3 categories: Virus of Interest (VOI)/ Virus of Concern (VOC) / Virus of High Concern (VOHC). But because the virus is changing so quickly and because the impacts of those changes are not completely understood (as of September 21, 2021), those in government have added a new, exceedingly vague term: "Variant Being Monitored" (VBM).

FAQ CRITICAL CONCERNS

FAQ #CC1: Can MyHandle help protect people with COMPROMISED AUTOIMMUNE SYSTEMS?

FAQ #CC2: Can MyHandle help protect people who have NOT BEEN VACCINATED?

FAQ #CC3: Can you contract COVID-19 from someone without symptoms?

FAQ #CC4: Does using the MyHandle system reduce my risk of contracting a disease?

MHGB Response: YES! When anyone takes added precautions to protect themselves and their families against any disease, by definition, their risk will be reduced. In this case, the choice is between grabbing on to a single, clean handle, or grabbing onto multiple handles that have each been shown to contain significant clusters of microbes. The risk of contracting any disease from any of those 35 pathogens (listed below) has to be significantly reduced.

FAQ ABOUT MyHandle PRODUCTS

FAQ #MH1: Where are your products made?

FAQ #MH2: When will your products be available?? (UPDATED 2/27/23)

FAQ #MH3: Why do you call MyHandle products PPE?

FAQ #MH4: What is meant by: "3-Way Protection?"

FAQ #MH 5: Which disinfectant do you recommend using?

MHGB Response: This is not an easy question to answer. Certainly, EPA's List "N" (https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/list-n-advanced-search-page-disinfectants-coronavirus-covid-19 )is the essential starting point.  If the disinfectant is not on that list, it is probably either ineffective or dangerous…or both. Choosing a disinfectant is a personal choice of balance between effectiveness and personal safety. All disinfectants are chemicals with varying characteristics and varying impacts on the germs and potentially on the user. Users might be sensitive or allergic to a particular ingredient in any disinfectant. Fragrances add to the potential for an unacceptable experience. On a more basic note, some disinfectants contain ingredients that will burn anyone’s skin or irritate anyone’s lungs. That’s why the choice of a disinfectant is not a slam-dunk. Our products are designed to be used with many of the disinfectants on List "N" (with the exception of extremely aggressive industrial chemical agents). We would also recommend looking at websites like https://www.womensvoices.org/ that have researched household cleaners and noted disinfectants that, they believe, might not be the safest choices.

Given all of the above considerations, we began our own search. We favored disinfectants based on hydrogen peroxide because hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen. We also looked for a product that had no added fragrances and one that was acceptable for hospital applications. Based on our search , we would suggest considering two products by Diversey: “Oxivir Tb” and "Oxivir 1." They are not "sterilants” (a product that produces a surgically sterile surface). But our testers found it to be a favorable mix of effectiveness and user friendliness. We also noted that at least one of the top 50 hospitals in the nation selected it to help them control the spread of nosocomial diseases. We offer 32 ounce bottles of it for sale on our website, not as the required or only solution, but as a convenience to our users who have done their own research and have come to the same conclusion that we have…and since it is usually found for sale in cases of 12. Whichever disinfectant you select, it is important to first read all of the available literature, review other users’ experiences, understand the “Safety Data Sheets” and follow the manufacturer’s written instructions. We know…it’s a lot of effort…but it’s essential.

With more products entering the list each month, there is the possibility that a product will contain an ingredient that might damage one or more f the components. That is why we offer the free service of reviewing the disinfectant that you propose to use before you buy it. Just send us a note at the time of your purchase of the MyHandle product (or in a separate email noting the date of your purchase of the MyHandle product). We will try to respond to your request within 10 business days or as soon as our review is complete. Please include: 1. the name of the disinfectant's manufacturer, 2. the full product name including any "scent" or fragrance of the specific product, 3. a list of the product's ingredients from the disinfectant's label and 4. the EPA Registration Number (from the "EPA List N" website. We note that failure to use an approved disinfectant may void the MyHandle warranty.

CAUTION: Once you select a disinfectant, do not use the MyHandle grips or case with any other type of disinfectant. Some disinfectants can leave residual coatings of chemicals on the surfaces of the grips or the case that could interact with other disinfectants. That chemical interaction could produce highly toxic fumes that could be harmful or fatal. If you wish to change disinfectants, be safe. Use a new MyHandle kit. It would be a small price to pay for your safety.

FAQ #MH6: Are the MyHandle PPE products approved by the FDA?

MHGB Response: The FDA does not review Personal Protective Equipment for shoppers. They review products that are intended to “diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

A motorcycle helmet is a good example of PPE that can help “protect” against a head injury but cannot “prevent” a head injury.

The MyHandle products are designed and built to “protect” their owners against the transfer of germs (viruses, bacteria and fungi) when they need to contact contaminated surfaces such as when pushing shopping carts or opening display case doors.

FAQ #MH7: Are any there any other MyHandle PPE products?

FAQ ABOUT OTHER FORMS OF PROTECTION

FAQ #P1: Don’t face coverings block COVID-19? (UPDATED 2/27/23)

FAQ #P2: If I don't go near other people, can I still catch a disease?

MHGB Response: YES, by "indirect contact." When a person with a disease touches a surface, they can deposit their germs on that surface. Since some types of germs (that can cause dire illnesses) can stay viable (alive) and able to infect others for years, if you touch that same surface, those germs can transfer onto you. That is how diseases transfer from shopping cart handles, and display case handles to your hands. It is also how germs transfer from your hands to your grocery packaging and from your grocery packaging to your family.

FAQ #P3: What happens if I don't change my mask every day?

MHGB Response: The best N-95 masks are labeled as being "disposable" and recommended to be changed daily or more frequently if conditions warrant it. The outside of face coverings that are worn day after day become saturated with many different kinds of pathogens being pulled in towards your nose and mouth each time you inhale. The insides of those masks can become breeding grounds for pathogens that thrive in warm moist, dark, or shaded environments. At that point, the face-covering becomes a liability to your health rather than an asset.

FAQ #P4: Which offers more protection: a mask or a MyHandle set?

FAQ #P5: Doesn't the vaccine provide all the protection that I need?

MHGB Response: No! Understandably, the COVID-19 vaccines are focused only on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. And, unfortunately, the present COVID-19 vaccines are not as successful as the vaccines in the past have been for other diseases. This shortfall in performance is due not only to the rapid rate at which the virus is mutating, but also other factors that we are learning almost weekly about the "experimental" vaccines.

But this is not just about COVID. As of this writing:

- There are 1,417 different species of known pathogens that attack the human body. (Each of those species could also have several different “types,” “strains” or “variants” that attack humans in diverse ways.) So, the total number of known pathogens that are attacking us, extends far beyond the number 1,417.
- We have 107, FDA-licensed vaccines available in the United States. Many of these vaccines target the same species of pathogens using different approaches.
- Out of those 1,417 different species of known pathogens, only 37 different species are targeted by those 107 vaccines.
- So, with all the amazing medical breakthroughs, there are still 1,380 different species of pathogens (along with their various different types, strains and variants) for which there is no vaccine.

Fortunately, the MyHandle products help protect all age groups against contact with 80% of all infectious diseases.

FAQ #P6: How am I exposed to disease after I use a sanitizing wipe?

MHGB Response: If you use a "sanitizing wipe" to remove the germs from a cart handle, you are not using a product designed to "disinfect" hard surfaces. The result will be that after you confidently dispose of that wipe, all the germs will still be on the cart handle and the display case handles waiting for you. As discussed elsewhere, other types of wipes will create other types of problems.

FAQ #P7: Am I protected if I use a cart handle "cover"?

MHGB Response: No! If you use a handle cover that was sitting there waiting for you…probably so are the germs. If you bring your own cover that you need to snap on, you also have to remove it. When you do that, your hands will touch the underside (contaminated side) of the cover and, once again, transmission by contact. And, what about the display case handles…and then your products along with the recontamination of your cart handle cover. Then what do you do with the germy cover, leave it for the next unsuspecting person or crumple it up and stuff those germs in your bag? They just don't work.

FAQ #P8: How does the GERM BLOCKER compare to disposable gloves?

FAQ #P9: How does the GERM BLOCKER compare to sanitizing wipes?

FAQ #P10: How does the GERM BLOCKER compare to disinfecting wipes?

FAQ #P11: How does the GERM BLOCKER compare to antimicrobial wipes?

FAQ #P12 How much do Lockdowns help?

The world has battled pandemics with lockdowns since the 14^th century. In August of 2022, the NIH found that “…the assumption of lockdowns’ effectiveness cannot be supported by evidence—neither regarding the present COVID-19 pandemic, nor regarding the 1918–1920 Spanish Flu and other less-severe pandemics in the past.” One reason for their limited success is that even the people in lockdown need food. To obtain that food, people who were ill during the COVID pandemic had full access to stores. Those who were ill during previous pandemics, passed pots, dishes, bottles and cups (along with their germs) to those who were still healthy.

FAQ ABOUT DISPOSABLE GLOVES

FAQ #DG1: Why aren't disposable gloves considered reliable?

FAQ #DG2: Why do surgeons rely on disposable gloves?

MHGB Response: First, surgeons' gloves are not the same as the ones you get at your local pharmacy…or at Home Depot. Surgeons' gloves are rigorously tested to be free from holes. (They are also about 20 X  MORE EXPENSIVE than the "weekend painter's" gloves.  Surgeons are keenly aware of the possibility of holes developing in the gloves, so, in many cases, surgeons will actually wear two pairs of gloves with different colors to more readily reveal any holes that might develop in the outside layer of gloves.  They also use their surgical gown to both remove the gloves and prevent splattering of any hazardous liquids. They then thoroughly scrub their hands and arms (up to their elbows) immediately following the removal of the gloves.

One other very important point to consider: Surgeons don't handle infectious materials with disposable gloves and then use those same gloves to place their family's groceries into their shopping carts.  That would be as disgusting to them as it probably seems to you.

FAQ #DG3: Why don't disposable gloves protect me?

MHGB Response: There are three primary deficiencies with disposable gloves:

Most shoppers think that wearing gloves protects your products in addition to your hands. It's actually just the opposite. In a store, gloves act like an inked stamp, transferring copies of the germs on the cart handles and display case handles to each product that you pick up.
Most shoppers think that all disposable gloves are of equal quality. They're not.  A surgeon's gloves (and surgeons usually wear two pairs of gloves) have been tested and certified to be free from holes and resistant to wear and stretch failure.
AFTER the contaminated groceries are in the cart, most shoppers believe that the "danger" is over. That is, in fact, the most dangerous time: when people contaminate themselves, their car, and their home by the careless removal of the gloves and contact with the now-contaminated product packages.

FAQ #DG4: How can a shopper wearing gloves contaminate their own products?

MHGB Response: Assume that the germs on the cart handle and display case handles can be seen like wet green paint. Now, grab that cart handle with the gloves. You don't have to look; you know that the green paint is now on your gloves.

Now pick that nice, clean bottle of spring water off the shelf and place it in your cart. See the green, germy fingerprints all over it? Keep shopping and get fresh green paint from the refrigerated cabinet door handles. By the time that you get to the self-check-out, everything in your cart has green fingerprints on it…. So, what was the purpose of the gloves…to protect your hands?

Imagine further:

When do you take the gloves off? Where do you take the gloves off? Do you take them off before or after you touch your car door handle? …before or after you touch the germy, green items you bought?

When you are removing the germy gloves, does a germy gloved finger touch your wrist? Do they snap and spatter wet green paint on your face?

Since disposable gloves are usually worn to help guard against contamination, they are usually considered "hazardous waste" and are not accepted or processed by recycling programs.

Hospital staff understands the potential for contacting whatever is lurking on the outside of those gloves. So, part of their procedure is to discard the gloves in a hazardous waste receptacle next to a scrub sink and immediately wash their hands and arms of any potential residual contamination.

FAQ ABOUT WIPES

FAQ #W1: Can we use disinfecting wipes on ourselves or our pets?

MHGB Response: NO!!!  While hand Sanitizers are mild enough to use on the skin, they are usually only strong enough to kill most (not all) bacteria. Disinfectants, however, are not only strong enough to kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses, some are also strong enough to cause damage to your skin. lungs and eyes.  For these reasons, the EPA (and other health-conscious organizations) strongly warn that disinfectants are intended for use on hard, inanimate surfaces and NOT on any person or pet.

FAQ #W2: How do the wipes provided by stores protect me?

MHGB Response: Short answer…they don't protect you! Here's why:

The wipes at your store have to fall into one of five categories:

Disinfecting Wipes
Sanitizing Wipes
Cleansing Wipes
Antimicrobial Wipes
Other Wipes

Let's look at each one as if it were the one offered by your store…and why it wouldn't protect you.

1. Disinfecting Wipes:

These wipes are the only ones listed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as having the ability to kill disease-causing germs (bacteria and viruses) on hard surfaces like cart handles and display case doors.
The surface must be allowed to remain wet for a certain amount of time (up to 10 minutes) in order for the product to kill germs.
Why These Wipes Wouldn't Help:

They simply would not be provided. No store manager would allow a customer to handle one without gloves. Why? Because the EPA (and other health-conscious organizations) state: "Do not use disinfectant sprays or wipes on your skin because they may cause skin and eye irritation."
Any store offering these wipes to customers could face multi-million dollar lawsuits from every customer who handled one.
The EPA also issued the following advisory to households: “Keep disinfectant wipes, gloves, masks, other PPE and medical waste out of recycling bins.” That means they go to landfills (or worse, sewers, waterways or incinerators).
Even if you brought your own wipe and started out with a sterile cart handle, as soon as you touched a contaminated display case handle, your hands and every product you touch after that would, again, be contaminated…along with the once-sterile cart handle.

2. Sanitizing Wipes:

These wipes are regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) but are only approved for use on hands.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): “DO NOT Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean surfaces. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is not designed to clean or disinfect surfaces.”
So, if you are given one of these, (and you keep your hands wet with the liquid for the prescribed length of time) you can expect that your hands will be at least somewhat sanitized…right up until the moment you grab that cart handle.

3. Cleansing Wipes:

A cleansing wipe (one that doesn’t claim to sanitize or disinfect) doesn’t require approval from the FDA, the EPA or the Consumer Product Safety Commission before they go on the market.
“Wipes intended for cleansing objects in our homes, at work, the gym, and in public places are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
But the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn’t “pre-approve” any product. They only recall products that are found to be dangerous (many times via the unfortunate experiences of the public).
And last but not least: a wipe that's meant for "cleansing" does not have to kill one germ or make one single virus "viron" nonviable. So, by taking a useless cleansing wipe, you are only adding to the pile at the landfills, sewers, waterways or incinerators.

4. Antimicrobial Wipes (NOT Approved by any Agency):

CAUTION: A wipe can still be labeled as "antimicrobial" even if is not regulated by the FDA (as a sanitizing wipe) or Registered with the EPA (as a disinfecting wipe)!
The term "antimicrobial" can mean that the product only "inhibits the growth" of some microbes. It does not have to kill one germ or make one single virus "viron" nonviable. They are inexpensive (or should be) and might be the ones handed out for free at your supermarket. That's why it is critical that you read the label...understand what you are NOT getting.
If anyone is concerned enough to use a wipe...it's for a reason. Make sure that any product you use: 1. Doesn't hurt you and, 2. Does help you!
By using unregistered antimicrobial wipes, once again, people are adding more useless wipes to the landfills, sewers, waterways or incinerators.

5. Other Wipes

So, the other wipes in the world fall into this category.

They don't claim to kill germs on surfaces.
They don't claim to kill germs on their hands.
They don't claim to clean anything.
They don't even claim to "inhibit the growth" of any microorganism.

They might feel cool on your hands.
They might have a pleasant scent.
If thousands of people contract a disease from these wipes, you can expect the Consumer Products Safety Commission to take them off the market (and make shelf space for the next useless wipe under a different trade name).
These would be the least expensive wipes that a store owner could possibly place at the entry for their customers to take…for free. They might take 3 seconds making your hands wet and spend 300 years in a landfill.

FAQ #W3: Why aren't wipes working the way they should for shoppers?

MHGB Response: People are not using wipes in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. “Wipes don’t work well for shoppers.” They could; but they don’t. People see hospitals using wipes to clean patient rooms, equipment and public areas. They think “If it works for them, I’ll do it too.” They don’t understand the mechanisms that keep hospitals safe…while the grocery-shopping public become ill. There are two unpleasant hidden surprises for shoppers who want to use wipes correctly: Cost and Time:

Let’s take one popular alcohol-based disinfectant wipe. Their label claims that they kill a bunch of bacteria and viruses. The container’s instructions contains several statements followed by reference symbols that the user is expected to review before using the product. One problem: the code keys for those symbols are not on the labels. So, if a consumer has an interest in the instructions, cautions, germ-killing claims, limitations and warnings, they need to do their own very time-consuming research that the manufacturer hopes that they don’t do. (We finally found the code keys on page 12 of 33 of a letter that the USEPA had written to one manufacturer in August of 2019.) Follow the logic here:

For perspective, as of this writing, the NIH had identified 1,407 different species of pathogens (germs). At least one of those pathogens is a deadly form of bacteria that causes pneumonia and can survive on cart handles and display case handles for over 2 years. According to the NIH, “K. pneumoniae infections can carry a high degree of antibiotic resistance and lead to a significant amount of patient mortality.”

The label on the wipes container lists: three germs that it kills in 15 seconds, six more germs that it kills in 60 seconds and one additional germ…yes one tough germ that it kills in 5 minutes. (Note that many other products can kill that same special germ in 30 seconds.) Why is this important? Because the “kill” times are also the times that the surface must stay wet with the active chemical on the wipe. In the wipes that we tested, the surface remained wet for an average of 30 seconds after it was made wet with the wipe. That means that you need to wipe the surface a second time to kill the germs that require 60 seconds in the presence of the active ingredient. So, can you just use the same wipe to go over the surface again? No. The label’s instructions direct you not to reuse the wipe, but to discard it. (That is because, as we find out later, the germ-killing agent evaporates fairly quickly.) So, that would be two wipes to kill those “60-second” group of germs. Twice the cost of the $0.11 wipe that you thought would do the job. And that tough germ that the manufacturer says it can protect you against…well, that “5-minute” germ would require 10 wipes at 10 times the cost…$1.10. So, does that mean that you are now safe from those 10 germs? No, it does not.

The wipes contain other liquid ingredients that could present the appearance of a surface being wet even in the absence of the germ-killing agent. So, how do you know if you are protected?

For its alcohol based disinfectant, one company offers test strips (for $1.10 for each test) to see if the wipes that you are using have retained the germ-killing chemical. To perform the test you need to waste 3 more wipes, to obtain the liquid active ingredient. If the test comes back negative the wipes are no longer able to kill those germs listed on the label.

Just a “heads up,” If you elect to grab a handful of your own disinfectant wipes and place them in a plastic bag to go to the store with you, (and not bring the entire, new, sealed container), chances are very good that the active chemical agent will evaporate to the point where the wipes are no longer effective.

Not done yet. After going through all the wipes, costs, time and effort, you finally have a cart handle that is free from 10 different disease-causing germs. (Let’s just hope that the hundreds of other disease-causing germs (that the product doesn’t kill) are not still on the shopping cart handle.) So, away you go picking very clean cans and boxes off the shelves. (The products on the shelves are probably the are probably the most germ-free surfaces in the store. The automated manufacturing processes, boxing and shipping means that they were likely only touched by the shelf stacker. Previous shoppers took the other cans and boxes that are no longer there.) Now you come to the refrigerated and frozen food aisles, with rows and rows of refrigerated case door handles, all probably more contaminated than the shopping cart handle that you had meticulously tried to disinfect. If you want to stay somewhat protected with wipes, you now must repeat the costs, time, effort and waste of materials that you went through when you entered the store.…or…you can just shrug your shoulders, grab that germy case handle, throw caution to the wind and hope that the people who opened those doors over the past week weren’t sick. (“The past week?” Yes. Actually at least one deadly form of bacteria that causes pneumonia can survive on hard surfaces for over 2 years.)

FAQ ABOUT STORES

FAQ #S1: Why don't grocery store workers get sick more often?

FAQ #S2: Why don't store owners do something?

MHGB Response: Until now, the best they could do was to offer you placebo wipes and clean their cart handles on some sort of a schedule.  But rather than placing blame on an easy target, let's look at the root cause. The sources of the problem can fit into two general categories:

Every shopper who has less than admirable hygiene practices, and…
People who are ill or who care for children or adults who are ill but still need to shop to survive…

And no store has the ability or legal right to determine if a shopper falls into either of those categories.

FAQ #S3: Why don't grocery stores require proof of vaccination?

FAQ #S4: Am I protected if I order my groceries online?

MHGB Response: "Out of your sight, out of your mind?" Entire distribution warehouses have been shut down because high percentages of their employees had been infected with COVID-19.  When employees without paid sick days become ill, they feel the need to go to work anyway just to feed themselves and their families.  If those workers place your products on the warehouse shelves, pick and pack your products, deliver your products, or all of the above…would that make you feel better protected?

FAQ #S5: Is this problem just in grocery stores?

MHGB Response: No…absolutely not! Any store that has refrigerated display cases or offers their customers either a shopping cart or a shopping basket poses the same risks for the transmission of germs. Those types of stores include:

Art Supply stores
Auto Parts stores
Baby Specialty shops
Beauty Supply stores
Book stores
Building Supply stores
Bulk Discount stores
Card stores
Clothing stores
Convenience stores
Craft stores
Department stores
Drug stores
Electronics stores
Fabric stores
Game stores
Gift shops
Goodwill / Secondhand stores
Hardware stores
Health / Vitamin shops
Hiking / Camping stores
Hobby stores
Kitchen and Bath stores
Lawn and Garden stores
Liquor stores
Manufacturers' outlets
Novelty shops
Office Supply stores
Party Decoration stores
Pet stores
Sporting Goods stores
Teaching Supply stores
Thrift stores
Toy stores
Warehouse Club stores
Woodworking Supply stores

FAQ ABOUT DISEASE TRANSMISSION

FAQ #T1: Can you contract a disease by touching a germy surface? (UPDATED 2/27/23)

MHGB Response: Yes! According to the CDC, about 80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted by contact! (That is why you don't see as many people shaking hands recently.) In our FAQ section about "Germs On Hard Surfaces," we provide information from the CDC and the NIH about thirty-five different viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can remain viable on hard surfaces (like cart handles and display case handles) and then be transmitted to an otherwise healthy shopper by contact.

FAQ #T2: Isn’t COVID-19 just an “airborne” disease?

MHGB Response: No! That’s only one of three ways that the disease is transmitted. The CDC has stated the following:

Common human coronaviruses usually spread from an infected person to others through

the air by coughing and sneezing
close personal contact, like touching or shaking hands
touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands

(MHGB Note: Remember, 80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted by hand contact.)

FAQ #T3: But to get COVID-19, you have to touch the droplets, right?

MHGB Response: No! COVID-19 can be transmitted by "indirect contact" (touching surfaces that were contaminated by a person who has COVID-19).
Surfaces like:

Shopping cart handles
Refrigerated display case handles
Shopping basket handles
Luggage handles and
The grab bars on buses and subways

And here's the part that should concern everyone: Once the COVID-19 virus and other germs are deposited on one of those hard surfaces, the germs can remain viable (live) for long periods of time: COVID-19 up to 3 days, others up to two years!

FAQ #T4: Are other infectious diseases transmitted by contact? (UPDATED 2/27/23)

MHGB Response: Yes! According to the CDC, about 80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted by contact!  In our FAQ section about "Germs On Hard Surfaces," we provide information from the CDC and the NIH about the "Still Alive 35” (Thirty-Five different viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites) that can remain viable on hard surfaces and then be transmitted to a healthy shopper by contact.

FAQ ABOUT GERMS ON HARD SURFACES

FAQ #G1: Can HIV be transmitted through indirect contact?

FAQ #G2: What is meant by the "Still Alive 35?" (UPDATED 10/24/23)

MHGB Response: There are at least 35 significant pathogens (other than HIV) that can remain viable on Cart Handles and Display Case Handles for enough time to allow multiple store customers to contact those surfaces and either deposit pathogens or transfer those pathogens onto their skin or gloves and then into their bodies or onto their grocery’s packaging. (PRECAUTIONARY FLAG: In the information below, you will note many startling data. Among those, the facts that in 2020 there were ZERO cases of “Wild” Polio reported in the United States [only one case came into the USA from Nigeria.] In September of 2022, New York State declared a “State Disaster Emergency,” (Protecting New Yorkers Through Immunization: State Department of Health Updates New Yorkers On Polio In New York State (ny.gov)) stating that Poliovirus had been detected in the sewage from New York City and from Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Nassau Counties.)

The diseases and the pathogens that cause them include the following:

(MHGB Note: all outcome figures are CDC/NIH estimates for the related study year.)

TRACHEOBRONCHITIS FROM ACINETOBACTER SPP. BACTERIA

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 5 MONTHS.
8,500 hospitalized with 700 deaths in the U.S. per year.

PNEUMONIA AND CONJUNCTIVITIS (“PINK EYE”) FROM ADENOVIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 3 MONTHS.
No CDC estimate of total annual cases in the US.

WHOOPING COUGH FROM BORDETELLA PERTUSSIS BACTERIA

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 5 DAYS.
10,000 to 50,000 cases in the U.S. per year.

SEVERE BLOODSTREAM INFECTION FROM CANDIDA AURIS FUNGI

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The fungi can survive on hard surfaces for more than 2 WEEKS.
No CDC estimate of total annual cases in the US.

BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS FROM CARBAPENEMASE-RESISTANT ENTEROBACTERALES BACTERIA (CRE)

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 5 MONTHS.
13,100 hospitalized with 1,100 deaths in the U.S. per year.

PNEUMONIA FROM CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 30 HOURS.
No CDC estimate of total annual cases in the US.

SEVERE DIARRHEA AND COLITIS FROM CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE BACTERIA

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 5 MONTHS.
453,000 cases with 29,300 deaths in the U.S. per year.

HAND-FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE FROM COXSACKIEVIRUS A16

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 2 WEEKS.
10 million to 15 million cases in the U.S. per year.

CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS FROM CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARASITES

The parasites can survive on hard surfaces for up to 6 MONTHS.
748,000 cases in the U.S. per year.

MONONUCLEOSIS FROM CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 6 HOURS.
No CDC estimate of total annual cases in the US.

ENDOCARDITIS FROM ENTEROCOCCUS SPP. BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 4 MONTHS.
54,500 cases with 5,400 deaths in the U.S. per year.

LIVER INFECTION FROM HEPATITIS A VIRUS (HAV) (UPDATED 2/27/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 2 MONTHS.
37,700 cases with 14,619 hospitalized in the U.S. per year.

LIVER FAILURE AND KIDNEY DISEASE FROM HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) (UPDATED 2/27/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 1 WEEK.
20,700 cases with 1,421 deaths in the U.S. per year.

CIRRHOSIS AND LIVER CANCER FROM HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) (UPDATED 2/27/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 6 WEEKS.
123,312 cases with 11,265 deaths in the U.S. per year.

AIDS AND WASTING SYNDROME FROM HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) (UPDATED 2/27/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 1 WEEK.
30,635 cases with 18,489 deaths in the U.S. per year.

BRONCHITIS AND PNEUMONIA FROM HUMAN PARAINFLUENZA VIRUS (HPIV) (UPDATED 2/27/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 10 HOURS.
Up to 2 million cases with up to 96,500 hospitalizations of children alone in the U.S. per year.

INFLUENZA FROM INFLUENZA A (H1N1) VIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 8 HOURS.
29 million cases with 28,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.
Note: The 2009 PANDEMIC had 60.8 million cases

PNEUMONIA FROM KLEBSIELLA SPP. BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 30 MONTHS.
7,900 cases with 520 deaths in the U.S. per year.

LISTERIOSIS FROM LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces more than 1 MONTH.
1,600 cases with 265 deaths in the U.S. per year.

SEVERE STAPH SKIN INFECTIONS FROM METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS BACTERIA (MRSA)(UPDATED 10/24/23)

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 3 YEARS.
323,700 cases with 10,600 deaths in the U.S. per year.

MONKEYPOX FROM MONKEYPOX VIRUS (MPXV) (UPDATED 10/24/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for at least 3 WEEKS.
There were 37 cases in 2003.
Since May 10, 2022, the CDC has confirmed 30,192 cases with 32 deaths in the U.S.

MEASLES FROM MORBILLIVIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 2 HOURS.
3,000,000 cases with 500 deaths in the U.S. per year.

GONORRHEA FROM NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 3 DAYS.
6 million cases 2,300 deaths in the U.S. per year.

VIRAL GASTROENTERITIS FROM NOROVIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 7 DAYS.
5,461,000 cases with 149 deaths in the U.S. per year.

POLIO FROM POLIOVIRUS-TYPE 2 (UPDATED 10/24/23)

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 2 MONTHS.
There were 0 cases of “wild” polio in 2020.
In September of 2022, New York State declared a “State Disaster Emergency,” stating: “Poliovirus [Type 2] Detected in Wastewater Samples from Rockland County, Orange County, Sullivan County, New York City and Now Nassau County”

PNEUMONIA FROM PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 16 MONTHS.
32,600 cases with 2,700 deaths in the U.S. per year.

BRONCHITIS AND PNEUMONIA FROM RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 12 HOURS.
177,000 hospitalized with 14,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

THE COMMON COLD FROM RHINOVIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for more than 2 DAYS.
Each adult in the U.S. average 2 to 3 cases per year.

SEVERE GASTROENTERITIS FROM ROTAVIRUS

The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 2 MONTHS.
More than 200,000 emergency room visits with 20-60 deaths in the U.S. per year.

COVID-19 FROM SARS-CoV-2 VIRUS

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The virus can survive on hard surfaces for up to 3 DAYS.
2 million cases with 1,043,840 deaths in the U.S. (as of August 29, 2022).

SHIGELLOSIS FROM SHIGELLA SPP. BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 5 MONTHS.
450,000 cases in the U.S. per year.

PNEUMONIA FROM STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 7 MONTHS.
119,000 cases with 20,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

MENINGITIS FROM STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE BACTERIA

CDC: Among the “Biggest Threats” in the United States.
The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 20 DAYS.
900,000 hospitalized with 3,600 deaths in the U.S. per year.

SCARLET FEVER, BACTEREMIA, PNEUMONIA AND NECROTIZING FASCIITIS FROM STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 6 MONTHS.
11,000 to 24,000 cases with 1,200 to 1,900 deaths in the U.S. per year.

CHOLERA FROM VIBRIO CHOLERAE BACTERIA

The bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 7 DAYS.
No CDC estimate of total annual cases in the US.

FAQ #G3: Can a cart handle be free from bacteria, but not other germs like viruses, fungi or parasites?

FAQ ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

FAQ #E1: Why don't we just recycle disposable gloves?

FAQ #E2: Couldn’t the disposable cloth wipes be recycled?

MHGB Response:  According to the FDA: "Cleansing wipes are made of materials such as polyester, polypropylene, cotton, wood pulp, or rayon fibers formed into sheets." (Other wipes are, too.) There are lots of plastics in disposable wipes. Like disposable gloves, when they are discarded, disposable wipes will not be accepted by recycling companies.  The EPA warning included directions NOT to try to recycle disposable wipes for the same reason given for disposable gloves: they should be treated as contaminated waste.

FAQ #E3: How many disposable wipes and gloves are wasted?

FAQ #E4: Do all those wasted wipes and gloves just go to landfills?

MHGB Response: Because the EPA has designated them as "contaminated waste," they are supposed to go to landfills. But many people flush disposable wipes down their toilets.  From there, they clog sewers and waste treatment plants. But the wipes that go into "combined sewers" (pipes that handle both sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff) often just get flushed into our streams, rivers, and oceans.  There they not only add to the "plastic islands" that can be seen from space, but they also shed "microplastic" particles that are now the main concern in ocean pollution.

FAQ #E5: How much of that waste can be avoided with the MyHandle System?

FAQ #E6: What about UV-C as a disinfecting means?

MHGB Response: UV-C seems like a pleasant colored light that sometimes people have at parties with fluorescent artwork…it's not.  UV-C destroys germs by attacking their DNA.  When it attacks the DNA of people, the results can include cancer and blindness.  Although one of our patents includes a UV-C form of disinfection, we believe it is too dangerous to offer to the public, and we are reserving that for industrial and healthcare applications.