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Our Antibacterial Obsession

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2005 file photo, a man sneezes holding a tissue in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil, File)
Roberto Pfeil
/
AP
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2005 file photo, a man sneezes holding a tissue in Berlin, Germany.

Just over a year ago, the need to ‘disinfect’ and ‘sanitize’ became a priority for every American. Mountains of Clorox wipes and gallons of hand sanitizer later, what long-term effects could increased use of antibacterials have on our health? Or for our water?

Amy Sapkota, professor of Applied Environmental Health at the University of Maryland, studies links between real-world microbial exposures and infectious disease in humans. Antibacterial agents are necessary, she says, but some are better and safer than others. Original air date: March 31, 2021.

Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.
Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'