Jessica, I would ask that you don't think of use of cleaning products as a bad thing. It's about common sense use of these products, including antibacterial cleaners and disinfectants. They products play a role in everyday hygiene routines -- they aren't the only means of infection control.
Please note the front page story on MSNBC right now: Soap up! The 12 germiest places in your life
Can Germs Keep Us Healthy?
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Jessica Snyder Sachs: It's only been 150 years since medical science fully embraced the idea that infectious diseases come from microbes (not invisible "miasmas" floating through the ether). In our zeal to defeat infectious diseases, we started viewing "germs" as synonymous with disease.
Understandably, we were spending little money and attention on studying harmless microbes. The good news is that our understanding of the bacterial world is growing more sophisticated. We're realizing that 99 percent of bacteria DON'T make us sick, but play important roles in maintaining our health.
But I want to add that alcohol based hand sanitizers are NOT necessarily a bad thing. I use them after I've put my hands someplace where hundreds, even thousands, of other people have had their hands that day—like when I ride the NY subways. Especially during the cold and flu season.
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Elk Grove, IL: What motivated you to start writing this book?
Jessica Snyder Sachs: In a strange way, my interest sprang from my first book: Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death. That book explored the ecosystem of the human body after death—the bugs, plants, and microbes that colonize a human corpse and how their activities can be used to determine time of death. I was likewise fascinated by the ecosystem of microbes that colonize the human body during life—i.e. the Good Germs and Bad Germs.
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Colubmia, MO: The title of your book is "Good Germs, Bad Germs." How do you differentiate between the two?
Jessica Snyder Sachs: Good question. If we want to get philosophical, good and bad are entirely subjective. In the book, I differentiate them as "Good Germs" help keep you health, "Bad Germs" can make you sick.
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