Cotton swabs (English English) or cotton buds (English English) consists of one or two cotton wools wrapped on one or both ends of short stems made of wood , rolled or plastic paper. They are commonly used in a variety of applications including first aid, cosmetic applications, cleaning, and arts and crafts.
This tool was discovered in 1920 by Leo Gerstenzang of Polish-American after he watched his wife put a cotton wad into a toothpick. The product, called "Baby Gays", then became the most-sold brand: Q-tips , which means "quality tips". The term "Q-tips" is often used as a generic trademark for cotton in the United States and Canada. The Q-tips brand is owned by Unilever and has over $ 200 million in sales in the US by 2014. Although doctors have been saying for years that it is unsafe to use cotton swabs to clean the ears, it remains the most common use.
Video Cotton swab
Description
Traditional cotton fabrics have single ends on the wooden handle, and these are still frequently used, especially in medical settings. They are usually relatively long, about six inches (15 cm). These are often packed sterile, one or two to paper or plastic sleeves. The advantage of the paper sleeves and the wooden handles is that the packets can be autoclaved for sterilization (the plastic arm or handle will melt in the autoclave).
Cotton swabs produced for home use are usually shorter, about three inches (7.6 cm) long, and are usually double-tipped. The first handle is made of wood, then made of rolled paper, which is still the most common (although tubular plastic is also used). They are often sold in bulk, 100 or more to a container.
The plastic swab bars are in different colors, such as blue, pink or green. However, the cotton itself is traditionally white.
Maps Cotton swab
Use
The most common use for cotton swabs is to clean or stroke the ear canal and/or remove earwax, although this is not a medically recommended method for removing earwax. Cotton swabs are also commonly used to apply and remove makeup, as well as for household purposes such as cleaning and art and craft. They are also useful for touching nail polish attached to the surrounding skin.
Medical type fibers are often used to take microbiological culture. They are rubbed into or into an infected area, then wiped in a culture medium, such as agar plates, in which bacteria from the swab can grow. They are also used to take DNA samples, most often by eroding cells from the inner cheeks in human cases. They can be used to apply drugs to the targeted area, to selectively remove substances from the targeted area, or to apply cleaning agents such as Betadine. They are also used as an applicator for various cosmetics, ointments, and other substances.
The associated area is the use of swabs for microbiological environmental monitoring. Once taken, the swab can be dashed onto the agar plate, or the tip contents are removed by agitation or dilution into the broth. The broth can then be filtered or incubated and examined for microbial growth.
Cotton swabs are also often used outside the personal hygiene area:
- Often used in plastic model kit construction, for various applications during downsizing or painting. Special brands of cotton are available for this purpose, characterized by stronger cotton heads and varied head shapes.
- Can be used in the dyne test to measure surface energy. This use is problematic, because manufacturers differ in the binders they use to fix the cotton to the stem, affecting the test results.
- They are often used to clean the laser from an optical drive along with rubbing alcohol. Similarly, they are used to clean larger computer parts such as video cards, and fans. They are also used extensively in the past to clean up video game cartridges.
Medical risk
The use of cotton swab in the ear canal has no associated medical benefits and poses a definite medical risk. Cerumen (ear wax) is a naturally occurring product of external auditory channels that protect the skin inside the ears, functioning with lubrication and cleaning functions, and providing protection from bacteria, fungi, insects and water.
Efforts to remove cerumen with cotton swabs may cause imposed serum , stacking or blockage of the wound in the ear canal, which may cause pain, hearing problems, ringing in the ear, or dizziness, and may require medical treatment to complete. The use of cotton swabs in the ear canal is one of the most common causes of perforation of the eardrum, a condition that sometimes requires surgery to repair. For this reason, the American Family Physician Academy and many other professional medical associations recommend never placing cotton swabs in the ear canal.
A 2004 study found that "[u] a cotton-tip applicator for ear cleaning appears to be a major cause of otitis externa in children and should be avoided." Instead, wipe the wax from the ear after the bath almost completely clean up a third of the outside ear canal where the earwax is made. In the US between 1990 and 2010, an estimated 263,338 children went to the hospital emergency room for cotton injuries, for an estimated 13,167 inpatient children.
Environmental impact
Plastic cotton swabs are often mistaken for the toilets, increasing the risk of marine pollution. Some manufacturers and retailers stop the production and sale of plastic swabs and sell only biodegradable paper versions. The Scottish government announced in February 2018 that it would ban the sale and manufacture of plastic cotton swabs.
See also
- Ear pick
- Cotton
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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