A short yet interesting essay in the Times today on the increasingly germ-phobic among us, and the popularity (and essential futility) of antibacterial products.

“The makers of antibacterial products are fond of the word “germs.” It is purposefully vague. Do they mean bacteria? Viruses? Both? Neither? Because the idea is simply to connote contamination. These products are as much about cooties as they are about viruses or bacteria.”

I don’t know about you, but I was brought up hearing “a little dirt never hurt anyone” over and over again, as food was picked up off the floor, brushed off, and returned to my plate. This just confirms that the antibacterial stuff is just so much marketing, not science.