Coming out of
left field, here's another reason why ebooks are better than paper books: they're hygienic.
A pair of Dutch university professors have just finished a new study in which they took the 10 most borrowed books in the Antwerp lending library and ran them through a battery of toxicology and bacteriology tests. The results make me want to go scrub my hands.
The professors found that all 10 books tested positive for cocaine, unfortunately in concentrations that aren't high enough to get you high but will result in a positive result on a drug test (all the downsides but none of the fun). They also found that 2 of the books, including 50 Shades, tested positive for the herpes virus.
I know you're saying ewww right now, but I would hold off on that emotion. This result, as gross as it may be, should come as no surprise to anyone who has had Bio 101.
Herpes may be attention getting, but please note that there's no mention of whether they found Herpes A or B (not even in the original Dutch (Flemish?) sources). For all we know someone might have a serious problem with mouth sores, not an STD.
Also, I can't find any sign that the professors tested for other bacteria or viruses, and that makes me think that they went for this one detail just to shock us. The original source was a Dutch TV show after all, not an academic paper.
But just to be safe, I suggest that everyone start practicing safe reading. At the very least you could wear gloves and a mask when handling a library book, but I think it better to follow your mother's maxim: "Don't touch that. You don't know where it's been."
P.S. This post is brought to you by DuPont, maker of HazMat suits, and Trojan, maker of condoms.
Try this:
This is hearsay. I have never had this problem myself. I don’t know anyone who has had this problem. I read about it in the newspaper.
Since I have switched to eBooks, I won’t ever have this problem.
What’s the problem? Bed bugs taking up residence in a library book in one home, and coming out again in your home when you borrow the book a week later. Yuck.
See: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/12/19/bedbugs_found_in_toronto_public_library_books.html
No, it’s not a problem. Or at least I don’t see it as a serious issue, which is why I reported it as a joke.
FYI, Belgium is not a part of Netherlands 🙂
Damn. Fixed it, thanks.
Yes, the BE URL should have clued me in, but in my defense the text looked like Dutch to me.
Yes, it is Dutch. Half of the people in Belgium speak Dutch. (The flavor of Dutch that they use is called Flemish.)
This I knew, but it somehow managed to slip my mind, LOL.
LOL, Dutch = Flemish. And they probably were Dutch trying to fly under the radar. BTW rubber gloves are the most dangerous weapon in the Netherlands.
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