The pandemic has created a flurry of frantic attempts to sanitize businesses, homes, schools and public transportation, spraying and wiping everything down with strong chemical disinfectants. This, in spite of the CDC’s confirmation that the risk of surface transmission is low and that masks, physical distancing and ventilation offer the best protection. Health experts say this process may be doing more harm than good by destroying our good microbes and denying our bodies the ability to naturally fight germs simply by being exposed to them.
Health experts point out that if people are not exposed to good microbes, especially at a young age, it may lead to an immune system malfunction that brings about allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic medical conditions.
Some health experts are worried that excessive hygiene practices, inappropriate antibiotic use and lifestyle changes such as distancing may weaken communities, promote sickness and imperil our immune systems in the long run.
SOURCE: The New York Times April 23, 2021