No face spray can outrun a sneeze

HealthIllnessesDiseases and IllnessesDisasters and AccidentsFiresMedicineFlu

If you've seen the television ad for the anti-germ spray MyClyns, you no doubt remember the pivotal scene: A mom and her two kids sit at a dinner table, the little boy coughs on his sister, and mom heroically grabs the spray bottle of MyClyns. Against all expectations, she doesn't spray the table or the air. Instead, she sprays her daughter. Directly in the face.


What's in it?


Users are instructed to use MyClyns "as quickly as possible" on the "entire affected area" after being exposed to germs.

Who is it for?

Germ-ridden families aren't the only intended market for MyClyns. Union Springs Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of the product, also sells it to fire departments, police departments and ambulance crews. According to company President Joel Ivers, MyClyns is being used by first responders in more than 2,000 communities across the country.

A 0.2-ounce spray bottle, sold at major drugstores and many grocery stores, costs $9 or $10. This should be enough for about 60 sprays. The Web site says the solution will stay fresh for about three months after the first spray.

The claims

The TV ad says that MyClyns "kills 99 percent of germs and is safe for the eyes, nose and mouth where germs can enter your body." Although the boy in the ad appears to have a bad cold, Ivers clarifies that the spray isn't intended to treat any specific disease. (The FDA has approved MyClyns as a device, not as a drug, so the company can't claim to treat specific illnesses.)

The bottom line


"If someone coughs in your face at 60 miles per hour, decontaminating your face won't help," Eckstein says. Coughs and sneezes release germ-covered particles in the air, he explains, and people catch illnesses by inhaling the particles pretty much immediately. By then, it's far too late for a face spray, he says.

What it could be good for

Though it may not do much to prevent colds and flu, a spray of MyClyns could theoretically help protect first responders from blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis or perhaps even HIV, Eckstein adds. Instead of depending on a spray to kill the germs from accidental blood splatters, however, first responders should wear masks and other protective gear, he says.



Avoiding illnessHow you get sick. The main way that illnesses such as colds and flu are spread is when a sick person's cough or sneeze droplets land on the mouths or noses of healthy people nearby, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to two hours or more on surfaces such as cafeteria tables, doorknobs and desks.

Avoidance strategies. Encourage sick people to cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away, or to cough into their hands and wash them immediately if a tissue isn't available. Wash your own hands frequently, and/or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

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