Have you noticed how everyone has a beard these days? Well not everyone, but face fur is definitely ‘in’. The question for scientists is: ‘do you want that facial hair in a laboratory setting, particularly a microbiological lab?’
2010’s Ig Nobel Prize for Public Health celebrated research carried out in the 1960s when Manuel Barbeito, Charles Mathews and Larry Taylor conducted a study entitled the Microbiological Laboratory Hazard of Bearded Men. According to the original abstract, Barbeito and Co. wanted to “evaluate the hypothesis that a bearded man subjects his family and friends to risk of infection if his beard is contaminated by infectious microorganisms while he is working in a microbiological laboratory.” Bit of a mouthful, but is it a beard-full too?
The somewhat rudimentary tests involved spraying bearded and clean-shaven men with a bacteria-carrying mist, having them wash with soap and water, then testing them for traces of the bacteria. Slightly bizarrely, they also rubbed chickens against an infected beard to assess viral contamination.
You won’t be surprised to hear that, despite washing, bearded faces harboured more viruses and toxins than clean-shaven ones, leading to a rash of new biohazard lab safety guidelines. Kinda obvious isn’t it? Like using Jumpstart to minimise the time and effort, complexity and business risk of R&D tax credit claims, while maximising their accuracy and value.
