Research: Handkerchief or tissue? Which is better for our health and the planet?
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(Mark Patrick Taylor, Macquarie University and Hester Joyce, La Trobe University)
Research: Sydney/Melbourne You may have hay fever, Covid, cold or flu and you are going to use a tissue or handkerchief. But who is better at preventing the spread of infection? Which has less environmental impact? Is this the handkerchief that has been with us since at least Roman times? Or the more recent and widely used paper tissue? You may be surprised by the results of these two comparisons.
A Brief History of Handkerchiefs and Tissues
Today, we think of a handkerchief as something we use to wipe our nose and cough and sneeze, but this simple square of cloth has a complex history.
In the first century, Romans used sudarium (the Latin name for a cloth used to wipe away sweat) to wipe away sweat, or to cover the mouth and face.
Over time, people have used what we now call handkerchiefs to cover heads, as veils and disguises, to clean hands, for wounds, and to stop bleeding.
Rich people used them to show class and etiquette, and to discreetly mop up phlegm. Royalty used these to signal wealth and power through gifts of fine linen and silk handkerchiefs to favorite subjects. Henry VIII had an extensive collection, some of which was engraved with gold and silver.
Handkerchiefs have also been a symbol of love, loyalty and sexual preferences. The “handkerchief code” was a system of color coding and handkerchief placement in the late 19th century that was used to indicate sexual preferences, which is still active in LGBTQ+ communities today.
We can trace the origins of paper tissue back to China in the second century BC but it was not until the 1920s that the tissue we know today was developed for removing makeup and wiping noses.
So, which one is better for our health?
More than 100 years ago, the cloth handkerchief was considered a “little flag of death” because it carried germs and contaminated the pocket it was kept in. Later, we were urged to use handkerchiefs because “if your nose or nose is not covered when you cough or sneeze, it spreads diseases”.
Today, we know that cold types of virus are found in nasal secretions that can be transferred to many surfaces – hands, handkerchiefs, tissues, door handles, keyboards – sometimes even long after initial exposure. Survive till.
So blowing your nose with a reusable cotton handkerchief, then touching another object, means that these viruses can spread. Even if you put your cotton handkerchief in the wash immediately, you will still contaminate surfaces like doorknobs, and use your infected hands to run the washing machine.
Viruses cannot survive on tissue for so long. Provided you throw away the tissues after using them, and don’t leave them lying around for others to pick up, the chances of transmitting germs to others from the used tissues is very low.
Then the question is whether handkerchiefs or tissues are effective in stopping cough and sputum from respiratory tract.
Basic cloth coverings, like handkerchiefs, can catch spit, but several studies have shown that they do not effectively filter respiratory aerosols, or leave you vulnerable to inhaling pollutants, pathogens or small airborne particles. Do not stop taking it inside.
Which is better for the planet?
If you want to look at environmental considerations, US company Ecosystem Analytics compared reusable cotton handkerchiefs with disposable paper tissue using lifecycle analysis. It looked at four types of environmental impacts associated with production, transport, use and disposal. Measures were considered. Climate change (greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide and CFCs) -Ecosystem quality (chemical pollution of land and water) -Human health (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicity to humans) -Resources ( Total energy requirements of non-renewable energy and mineral extraction).
what is the decision, In all four measurements, the effect of a cotton handkerchief was five to seven times greater than the equivalent tissue. By far, the largest impacts were related to the production of each of these products rather than their use or disposal.
If you are still willing to use cotton handkerchiefs, you can opt for organic cotton, which has a lower ecological impact than standard cotton produced in the same location but organic cotton production has lower yields than its conventional counterpart. This means that more land is required to produce the same amount of water, increasing the overall environmental impact.
If you want to feel better about using tissues, tissues made from recycled materials may be a better choice. Manufacturing them results in lower greenhouse gas emissions than making regular tissue.
Decision
Wiping your nose with paper tissue made from recycled materials, which we dispose of properly after use (and not keep it in our pockets), is better from both a health and environmental perspective. There are no stitches like made handkerchiefs.
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