Which is better: Soap or hand sanitizer? - Alex Rosenthal and Pall Thordarson

Prevoditelj: Dunja Lilek-Toplak Recezent: Sanda L

Your hands, up close, are anything but smooth.

Vaše ruke izbliza uopće nisu glatke.

With peaks and valleys, folds and rifts,

Imaju brda i doline, brazde i pukotine

there are plenty of hiding places for a virus to stick.

koje stvaraju mjesta gdje se virus može sakriti.

If you then touch your face, the virus can infect you.

Ako dirate lice, virus može ući u organizam.

But there are two extraordinarily simple ways you can keep that from happening:

Postoje dva iznimno jednostavna načina da to spriječite:

soap and water, and hand sanitizer.

sapun i voda te dezinfektanti.

So which is better?

Koji je bolji?

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19

Koronavirus koji uzrokuje COVID-19

is one of many viruses whose protective outer surface is made of a lipid bilayer.

jedan je od brojnih virusa čiju zaštitnu ovojnicu tvori lipidni dvosloj.

These lipids are pin shaped molecules whose heads are attracted to water,

Lipidi su molekule koje sliče pribadači te imaju glavu koju voda privlači

and tails are repulsed by it.

i repove koje ona odbija.

So in water-rich environments, lipids naturally form a shell like this,

U uvjetima koji obiluju vodom, lipidi prirodno formiraju takvu ovojnicu:

with the heads outside and the tails inside.

glave su s vanjske strane, a repovi unutra.

Their shared reaction to water makes the lipids stick loosely together—

Takva zajednička reakcija na vodu drži lipide na okupu.

this is called the hydrophobic effect.

To je hidrofobni efekt.

This outer structure helps the molecular machinery of the virus

Vanjska struktura pomaže molekularnim komponentama virusa

break through cellular membranes and hijack our cells.

pri prodiranju stanične membrane i preuzimanju naših stanica.

But it has thousands upon thousands of weak points

Virusi imaju mnogo slabih točaka

where the right molecules could pry it apart.

gdje ih određene molekule mogu rastaviti.

And this is where soap comes in.

Ovdje na scenu stupa sapun.

A single drop of any brand of soap contains quadrillions of molecules

Jedna kap bilo kojeg sapuna sadrži ogroman broj molekula

called amphiphiles, which resemble biological lipids.

koje su amfifilne i sliče biološkim lipidima.

Their tails, which are similarly repulsed by water,

I njihove repove voda odbija

compete for space with the lipids that make up the virus’s shell.

te se oni žele ugurati među lipide koji tvore ovojnicu virusa.

But they’re just different enough to break up the regularity of the virus’s membrane,

Dovoljno su različiti da poremete pravilnu membranu virusa

making the whole thing come crashing down.

te ga tako uništavaju.

Those amphiphiles then form bubbles of their own around particles

Amfifili zatim stvaraju mjehuriće oko pojedinih čestica

including the virus’s RNA and proteins.

uključujući RNK i proteine virusa.

Apply water, and you’ll wash that whole bubble away.

Uz pomoć vode lako možete isprati sve te mjehuriće.

Hand sanitizers work less like a crowbar, and more like an earthquake.

Dezinfektanti ne djeluju kao poluga, već kao potres.

When you surround a coronavirus with water,

Kada voda okruži virus korone,

the hydrophobic effect gives the bonds within the membrane their strength.

hidrofobni učinak ojačava veze u membrani.

That same effect also holds the big proteins

Taj učinak također drži i velike proteine

that form coronavirus’s spikes in place

koji tvore izbočine na vanjskom dijelu koronavirusa

and in the shape that enables them to infect your cells.

te čuva oblik koji virusu omogućava ulazak u stanice.

If you dry the virus out in air, it keeps its stability.

Ako je virus na zraku, zadržava svoju stabilnost.

But now surround it with a high concentration of an alcohol,

Kada je okružen visokom koncentracijom alkohola,

like the ethanol or isopropanol found in most hand-sanitizers.

kao što su etanol ili izopropanol koji se često nalaze u dezinfektantima,

This makes the hydrophobic effect disappear,

hidrofobni efekt nestaje

and gives the molecules room to move around.

i molekulama omogućava kretanje.

The overall effect is like removing all of the nails and mortar from a house

Taj je učinak kao uklanjanje čavala i žbuke s kuće

and then hitting it with an earthquake.

koju zatim prodrma potres.

The cell’s membrane collapses and those spike proteins crumble.

Membrana stanice se urušava zajedno s proteinskim izbočinama.

In either method, the actual process of destroying the virus

O kojoj da je god metodi riječ, proces uništavanja virusa

happens in just a second or two.

traje tek sekundu ili dvije.

But doctors recommend at least 20 seconds of hand-washing

Unatoč tome, liječnici preporučuju pranje ruku barem 20 sekundi

because of the intricate landscape that is your hand.

zbog složene strukture površine ruke.

Soap and sanitizer need to get everywhere, including your palms, fingertips,

Sapun i dezinfektanti moraju biti i na dlanovima i prstima

the outsides of your hands, and between your fingers,

te na vanjskim dijelovima ruke i među prstima

to protect you properly.

kako bi bili optimalna zaštita.

And when it comes to a coronavirus outbreak,

Kada je u pitanju korona,

doctors recommend washing your hands with soap and water whenever possible.

liječnici preporučuju pranje ruku sapunom i vodom kada je god moguće.

Even though both approaches are similarly effective at killing the virus,

Oba pristupa učinkovito uništavaju virus,

soap and water has two benefits:

no sapun i voda imaju dvije prednosti.

first it washes away any dirt which could otherwise hide virus particles.

S ruku uklanjaju prljavštinu u kojoj bi čestice virusa mogle biti.

But more importantly,

Što je još važnije,

it’s simply easier to fully cover your hands with soap and water

jednostavnije je u potpunosti prekriti ruke sapunom i vodom

for 20 seconds.

20 sekundi.

Of course, hand sanitizer is more convenient to use on the go.

Naravno, dezinfektant je praktičniji kada negdje idete.

In the absence of a sink, use the sanitizer as thoroughly as possible

Ako nema umivaonika, temeljito prekrijte ruke dezinfektantom

and rub your hands together until they’re dry.

i trljajte ih dok se ne osuše.

Unfortunately, there are billions of people

Na žalost, milijarde ljudi

who don’t have access to clean drinking water,

nemaju pristup vodi za piće.

which is a huge problem at any time but especially during an outbreak.

To predstavlja velik problem koji je tijekom pandemije još izraženiji.

Researchers and aid groups are working to provide solutions for these communities.

Istraživači i razne skupine rade na pronalasku rješenja za te zajednice.

One example is a device that uses salt, water, and a car battery

Na primjer, osmislili su uređaj koji pomoću soli, vode i akumulatora

to make chlorinated water that kills harmful pathogens

proizvodi vodu s klorom koji uništava štetne patogene

and is safe for hand-washing.

i sigurna je za pranje ruku.

So wherever possible, soap and water are recommended for a coronavirus,

Kada su god dostupni, sapun i voda djeluju protiv koronavirusa,

but does that mean it's best for every viral outbreak?

no jesu li jednako dobri u borbi protiv drugih virusa?

Not necessarily.

Ne mora biti.

Many common colds are caused by rhinoviruses

Obične prehlade najčešće uzrokuju rinovirusi

that have a geometric protein structure called a capsid

čiji proteini tvore geometrijsku strukturu, kapsidu.

instead of a lipid membrane.

Oni nemaju lipidnu membranu.

The capsid doesn't have nearly as many weak points

Kapsida nema toliko slabih točaka

where soap amphiphiles can pry it apart,

gdje se amfifili mogu ugurati

so it takes longer for soap to be effective.

pa tako sapunu treba duže da na njih djeluje.

However some of its surface proteins are still vulnerable

Unatoč tome, površinski proteini i dalje su podložni

to the destabilizing effect of hand sanitizer.

destabilizirajućem utjecaju dezinfektanta.

In this and similar cases, hand sanitizer may be more effective,

Ovdje, i u sličnim slučajevima, dezinfektanti mogu biti efikasniji,

especially if you then wash your hands to remove residual particles.

pogotovo ako nakon korištenja operete ruke i time uklonite preostale čestice.

The best way to know which to use for any given outbreak

Najbolji izvor informacija o zaštiti i higijeni tijekom pandemije

is to do what's best for all things illness-related:

je onaj koji je najbolji za sve vezano uz bolesti,

follow the advice of accredited medical professionals.

a to su ovlašteni zdravstveni stručnjaci.