Grime Stoppers

Exposure to germs helps to strengthen kids’ immune systems. But is there a limit to dirtiness?

November 28, 2013

Honolulu Family Team,

Exposure to germs helps to strengthen kids’ immune systems. But is there a limit to dirtiness?

This past summer, Lilinoe Tui, age 2, visited her family’s farm, where she touched animals and played in the dirt with her cousins. Lilinoe didn’t walk away unscathed, however. A few days later, she came down with a virus.

That was OK,” recalls her mother, Kristin, of Honolulu. “I knew she was going to get dirty and pick up lots of germs. As parents, we have to allow our kids to be exposed to stuff.” On Lilinoe’s next visit to the farm, she didn’t get sick.

Last year, while learning to walk, toddler Adam Brenchley often shoved things into his mouth, including stray food from the ground. “Adam would be like, ‘Ooh, there’s a raisin,’ and I would think to myself,

‘Ah, shoot, he already ate it!’” says his mother, Cheryl, who constantly had to remind herself to expose her baby to germs.

Today, Adam and his brother, Luke, ages 2 and 5, are healthy boys who “like to play in the dirt” near their North Shore home.

Brenchley and Tui are among the new generation of parents who—armed with hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes—strive to keep families squeaky clean. Their biggest challenge is to protect kids from harmful germs, while allowing kids to explore.

Excessive cleanliness is not healthy. Germs are necessary to build children’s immune systems, according to a recent study by Boston scientists. Multiple studies say children living in overly sterile homes are vulnerable to asthma, allergies, eczema and inflammatory diseases later in life.

Infectious-disease specialists call it the “hygiene hypothesis.”

Young children who are not exposed to common germs do not develop the antibodies to fight off future infections.

Childhood illnesses are a normal part of the immune system’s development, says Dr. Kathryn Taketa-Wong, a naturopathic family physician in downtown Honolulu. “Parents do not need to worry about disinfecting everything their child may touch,” she says.

The extreme opposite – raising kids in filthy environments – is not healthy, either. Regularly disinfecting the home and washing hands throughout the day are crucial. (See sidebar, “Help Your Family Fight Germs”).

The Tui and Brenchley families strive to balance cleanliness with child’s play. Lilinoe washes her hands before eating, after every diaper change and after playing with her pet dog. If soap and water are unavailable, Lilinoe and her mother use alcohol-based sanitizer.

Today, Adam and his brother, Luke, ages 2 and 5, are healthy boys who “like to play in the dirt” near their North Shore home.

Infectious-disease specialists call it the “hygiene hypothesis.”

Young children who are not exposed to common germs do not develop the antibodies to fight off future infections.

Brenchley disinfects grocery-store shopping carts before strapping Adam into the seat. And she covers the toilet seat with a paper sheet, when her older son, Luke, uses public restrooms. She might use her foot to flush the toilet, if the facility is extremely filthy.

Like Tui, she doesn’t overreact when her boys get sick, approximately four times a year. “As kids, we all grew up without using antibacterial soap, without everything being disinfected,” Brenchley says, “and we turned out OK!”

Germs Lurk Everywhere

Here are four germ types and their related illnesses:

TRICLOSAN: The Controversial Cleanser

Triclosan is a germ-fighting chemical found in many household products, from liquid hand soap to facial wash to toothpaste. Triclosan is also in some cutting boards, socks and yoga mats branded as “antimicrobial.”

Despite its benefits, however, triclosan could come with health risks. Scientific studies in animals link triclosan to potential hormone problems in humans, including infertility and early puberty. Other studies link triclosan to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Triclosan “potentially kills some of the normal good bacteria that lives on your skin, allowing room for more pathogenic [disease-causing] strains of bacteria to grow,” says Dr. Kathryn Taketa-Wong, a naturopathic family physician in downtown Honolulu.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is reviewing the safety of triclosan and is scheduled to announce results by the end of 2013 (from an original deadline of 2011).

Meantime, the FDA advises, “Consumers concerned about using hand and body soaps with triclosan should wash with regular soap and water.” The FDA’s Website states, “Triclosan is not currently known to be hazardous to humans.”

Healthcare companies aren’t taking chances. Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble announced plans to eliminate triclosan from their products by 2015 and 2014, respectively. Colgate-Palmolive recently dropped it from most soaps, however, some toothpastes still contain triclosan, proven to fight gingivitis.

There’s no need to panic if your family’s favorite products have triclosan. But be aware of the potentially dangerous effects on your children’s health. And consider switching to alternative products.

HELP YOUR FAMILY FIGHT GERMS

†Teach kids to wash hands after using the bathroom, before eating and after returning home from school and outings. Doctors recommend washing for 30 seconds, the time it takes to sing “ABC” twice. For a thorough cleanse, use soap and warm water to scrub between fingers, under fingernails, palms, back of hands and up to elbows.

†Teach kids to cough and sneeze into the crook of their arms. Discourage young kids from putting things in their mouths, and from touching or rubbing their eyes, nose and mouth with bare hands.

†Routinely use a disinfectant to wipe the floors and surface areas of your bathrooms and kitchen. Regularly swab down door handles, tabletops, stair railings, cell phones, keys and the bottom of purses and school bags, which collect germs.

†Boost kids’ immune systems through proper nutrition and adequate sleep. Babies need 14 to 15 hours of sleep; toddlers, 12 to 14; preschoolers, 11 to 13; school-age kids, 10 to 11; and teens, 8½ to 9. Natural sunlight helps kids’ bodies create vitamin D, an immunity enhancer.