Unclean Hands in North England

An article by Ian sample in the science section of the Guardian reports that a study carried out in England by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the degree of bacterial infestation of hands varies with the latitude. As one moved further north, the team found that swabs taken from the hands of the men would bear a higher proportion of bacterial contamination.

I find this not only fascinating and have wondered what the connection between latitudes and hand hygiene would be. I would posit two very rough hypotheses. The first is that the occupational character of the men living in norther UK is probably a factor here. Second, my experience in the North of England during the harshest part of winter a couple of years ago confirms that because the northern cities are generally colder and experience harsher winters, the tendency to wash hands regularly may be substantially reduced. Thus the need to avoid cold water on the hands could indirectly drive the growth and retention of larger colonies of bacteria. Admittedly, the latter fails to explain the divergence in the behavior of men and women.