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June 9, 2004
Bacteria and Soap
Could Soap Companies' Advertising Be Making You Sick?
Aron Trevino, 13, San Antonio, Texas
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2003
Project background: Continuing research that he began last year, Aron wanted to elaborate on his findings that brand names carved or molded into bars of soap harbor more bacteria than the flat surfaces of the bar and that these bacteria transfer to hands at a higher rate than from a flat bar of soap. Aron chose to expand his testing by increasing his sample size, reducing variables, and testing the bacteria loads on foods and contact lenses touched after washing with these soaps.
Tactics and results: Aron contaminated a set of 40 bars of soap, half with and half without recesses, by washing with each bar after rubbing his hands in raw hamburger. Dipping hands in dirty water before washing with the soap tainted another set. After washing with the first set, cultures from the hands were plated on blood agar. A bacteria count was done 48 hours later. One hour after creating the "contaminated" second set of soap, Aron washed and checked for bacteria on his hands. Then, he touched a slice of bologna, the outside and inside of an apple, and a new contact lens. Five hours later, Aron cultured the foods; a week later, he cultured the contact lenses.
Aron found that in all tests, the soap with recesses harbored more bacteria than the soap with flat surfaces. He concluded that branding on soap indeed causes an increased health hazard.
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