Everyone regularly cleans their ears with cotton buds. This is the simplest hygienic procedure that each of us has become accustomed to since childhood. But it turns out, following the habit, we harm both ourselves and the environment.
The basis of a cotton swab is thin plastic, which is a significant threat to the ecology of our planet. This material does not decompose, and its widespread use by millions of people leads to the formation of huge landfills, giant garbage islands in the ocean, animal death and groundwater poisoning ...
Cotton buds outlawed?
For several years, the European Union has been waging a large-scale struggle with the use of plastic.And from January 1, 2021 a ban on the production and sale of disposable plastic utensils, straws, food containers and cotton buds comes into force.
Most of the deputies voted for this law.
The EU is working to significantly reduce the use of plastic products and recycle what is already there. In the UK, Denmark, the Czech Republic and France, cotton buds disappeared from the shelves. Other countries support this initiative.
The benefits and harms of cotton buds
Regular ear canal cleaning with cotton buds is a common procedure for millions of people. But few people think that in reality there is not so much benefit in it, as is commonly believed.
A few decades ago, the accumulation of yellow sulfur in the ear canal was considered the cause of hearing impairment.Until now, in simple colloquial speech, one can often hear the words "brush your ears" if someone asks an interlocutor. Ear cleaning has become an integral part of regular hygiene. And with the advent of cheap and comfortable cotton buds, it began to take a few minutes.
But it turns out that self-cleaning your ears is harmful. American otolaryngologists have proved that with the help of a cotton swab we can remove a small part of sulfur, and push the rest of the mass deep into the ear, which leads to the formation of dense plugs of sulfur. They can only be removed by a doctor.
In addition, by inserting a foreign object into the ear, we touch the eardrum and risk spoiling our hearing, injuring and irritating the delicate organ.
Sulfur is produced by the body for a reason, and not just. It is necessary in order to protect the organs of the inner ear from small insects that can penetrate inside and cause significant harm to the human hearing system. It also minimizes the risk of fungus or bacteria infection in the ear canal.
Interestingly, frequent brushing of the ears leads to skin irritation inside the ear canal and, as a result, to increased production of sulfur.It turns out that the more diligently we clean our ears, the more “dirt” eventually forms. The body is struggling to restore what should be in the right place.
How can they be replaced?
The fact that cleaning your ears with plastic cotton swabs is harmful, undeniable. But it does not negate the need for regular hygiene procedures.
To keep the ear canals clean, there are special aerosols and saline. You can wash your ears with ordinary soap and water, but you must do this very carefully so as not to damage the delicate organs. No other fixtures are required.
Well, if there is no desire to fight the habit of using comfortable cotton buds, then you should pay attention to those that are made not of plastic, but of wood or bamboo.They decompose fairly quickly and do no harm to the environment. The price of such hygiene products is usually higher. But perhaps this will change when demand for them becomes greater, and plastic counterparts leave the shelves.
Disposable plastic items are used less than a minute, but remain on our planet forever. According to statistics, residents of our country alone throw about 16 tons of plastic sticks per year. The figure is colossal!
In addition, even the production of these sticks consumes a lot of resources - billions of liters of water. Their further production is unreasonable! Therefore, each person should think about giving up plastic sticks once and for all.
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