FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Sansoni, The Soap and Detergent Association, 202-662-2517, bsansoni@cleaning101.com

SDA Offers Online Handouts:
National Clean Hands Week, September 18-24

Free Materials Available at www.cleaning101.com

WASHINGTON , D.C. , September 14, 2005 – Consumers, teachers, and health professionals are one click away from free online materials focusing on the importance of proper hand hygiene.

In celebration of National Clean Hands Week, September 18-24, The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) is featuring a variety of educational materials on its hand hygiene website, www.cleaning101.com/handhygiene .

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single most important thing we can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness to others is to clean our hands.

SDA's Hand Hygiene website hosts educational materials, news and research summaries, and links to other hand hygiene resources.

“Washing with soap and water is still the gold standard when it comes to removing dirt and grime from our hands,” said Nancy Bock, SDA's Vice President of Education. “But when soap and water aren't available, hand sanitizers and wipes are valuable tools in keeping our hands clean.”

SDA is a member of the Clean Hands Coalition - www.cleanhandscoalition.org – a national alliance of public and private partners working to create and support coordinated, sustained initiatives to significantly improve health and save lives through clean hands. The Coalition designates the third week in September as National Clean Hands Week to educate the public about the benefits of good hand hygiene.

Hand Hygiene Facts:

• Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold. (CDC: Fast stats A to Z: Common cold, 1996.)
• 52.2 million cases of the common cold affect Americans under age 17 each year. (CDC: Fast stats A to Z: Common cold, 1996.)
• Some foodborne illnesses are spread through lack of hand cleaning. In fact, certain strains of E. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria can live on surfaces like cafeteria tables and doorknobs for up to two hours. ( Scott E., Bloomfield S. The survival and transfer of microbial contamination via cloths, hands, and utensils. Journal of Applied Bacteriology . 1990; 68:271-277.)

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The Soap and Detergent Association ( www.cleaning101.com ) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry SM , representing manufacturers of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products; their ingredients and finished packaging; and oleochemical producers. SDA members produce more than 90 percent of the cleaning products marketed in the U.S. The SDA is located at 1500 K Street, NW, Suite 300 , Washington , DC 20005 .