Date:         Sat, 10 Jun 2006 21:17:20 -0700
Reply-To:     John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: What do you use in your parts washer
In-Reply-To:  <002801c68cd3$a90234c0$0201a8c0@kaos>
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> From the Fear-monger department: I have been told that aging kerosene in
> parts washing tubs can culture a deadly flesh eating bacteria. Anyone else
> ever heard this?
>
>
Actually, I was just reading about necrotizing fasciitis (I have odd reading
habits). At the risk of sounding like an even BIGGER fear monger, it's even
creepier than that. What is called the "flesh eating bacteria" is nothing
more than group A streptococcus, which is all over the place. A strep
infection of the mucous membranes is slow enough to knock down with
antibiotics; but if it somehow gets through the skin, it just rolls right on
through the underlying tissue like crazy. Nasty stuff. Many strains are
showing up with resistance to antibiotics. A lot of different anaerobic
bacteria can live in kerosene. Dunno if strep A can. Either way, I think
you're OK so long as you don't get it under your skin into deep tissue. The
only kerosene link I could find was one case where someone came down with
chemically induced necrotizing fasciitis after injecting kerosene into his
legs, but that was a weird self mutilation thing.
<http://app.kfshrc.edu.sa/annals/articles/23_6/02-179.pdf>  (warning:
contains icky pictures)

But you know, life is dangerous in general. If you look closely enough, you
can find danger anywhere. Best not to worry too much about it.
--
John Bange
'90 Vanagon - "Geldsauger"