棉花棒

棉花棒(英语:cotton swab)又叫棉棒、棉签,是一种在纸制、木制或塑胶制的长轴顶端缠上脱脂棉的日用品。它们最常用于清洁耳朵,尽管医生不建议这样做。棉花棒的其他用途包括急救、化妆、清洁、婴儿护理和工艺品制作。对于海洋污染的担忧,一些国家已经禁止使用塑胶柄棉签,转而使用可生物降解的替代品。
历史
[编辑]1920年由Leo Gerstensang发明[1]。
规格与种类
[编辑]一般棉花棒是以纸等材质,卷成大约直径2毫米粗的长轴,再以脱脂棉缠绕在顶端到向内1~1.5厘米处。
家用棉花棒的长度大约是8厘米,但某些医疗用的棉花棒,长度通常在家用棉花棒的两倍左右。
某些用来涂抹药品、以及用来清洁机械细部的棉花棒,因其用途而设计成只有一端缠有棉球,甚至连长轴都以木头制成。
用途
[编辑]通常家用棉花棒会被用来涂抹药品、化妆品或是掏耳朵,甚至因为棉花棒的出现,使得掏耳勺的使用率越来越低。
医疗风险
[编辑]
使用棉花棒在耳道中清洁没有任何医疗益处,反而会带来一定的医疗风险。[2][3][4][5] 耳垢是外耳道自然产生的、正常情况下的产物,可保护耳内皮肤,起到润滑和清洁的作用,并提供一些防细菌、真菌、昆虫和水的保护。[6][7]
尝试用棉花棒去除耳垢可能会导致耳垢嵌塞,即耳垢在耳道中积聚或堵塞,从而引起疼痛、听力问题、耳鸣或头晕,并可能需要药物治疗才能解决。[4]在耳道中使用棉花棒是耳膜穿孔最常见的原因之一,有时耳膜穿孔需要手术来矫正。[8]
2004 年的一项研究发现,“使用棉花棒清洁耳朵似乎是儿童外耳炎的主要原因,应避免使用”。[9]相反,淋浴后用毛巾擦去耳垢几乎可以完全清洁耳道外部三分之一的区域,而耳垢正是在这里产生的。[10]
环境影响
[编辑]塑胶棉签经常被冲入马桶,增加了海洋污染的风险。一些制造商和零售商已经停止生产和销售塑胶棉签,只销售可生物降解的纸质棉签。ref>Johnston, Ian. Johnson & Johnson will stop selling plastic cotton buds in half the world to help cut marine pollution. The Independent. 13 February 2017 [26 November 2006].</ref>
欧盟于 2021 年颁布了禁止使用塑胶柄棉签的法令。[11]意大利先前已于 2019 年颁布了禁令[12],摩纳哥也于 2020 年颁布了禁令。[13]英格兰、[14]苏格兰、[15]威尔士、[16]和马恩岛[17]均在 2019 年至 2021 年期间颁布了禁令。
另见
[编辑]参考文献
[编辑]- ^ Schueller, Randy, Cotton Swab, History 4, FindArticles.com, 1996 [2011-08-01], (原始内容存档于2011-08-31)
- ^ Moser, Rod, Q-Tips – Weapons of Ear Destruction?, WebMD, 13 November 2006
- ^ Stein, Joel, Something Evil in the Ear Canal, Time, 26 March 2001
- ^ 4.0 4.1 American Academy of Family Physicians. Information from Your Family Doctor—Earwax: What You Should Know. American Family Physician. May 2007, 75 (10): 1530. PMID 17555145.
- ^ Why You Really, Truly Should Not Put Q-Tips Into Your Ears. commonhealth. [6 March 2016].
- ^ McCarter, Daniel F.; et al. Cerumen Impaction. American Family Physician. May 2007, 75 (10): 1523–1528 [5 September 2012]. PMID 17555144.
- ^ Earwax 互联网档案馆的存档,存档日期10 February 2013. at the American Hearing Research Foundation. Chicago, Illinois 2008.
- ^ Smith, Matthew; Darrat. Otologic complications of cotton swab use: One institution's experience. The Laryngoscope. February 2012, 122 (2): 409–411. PMID 22241624. S2CID 206199065. doi:10.1002/lary.22437.
- ^ Nussinovitch, Moshe; et al. Cotton-tip applicators as a leading cause of otitis externa
. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. April 2004, 68 (4): 433–435 [5 September 2012]. PMID 15013609. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2003.11.014.
- ^ Don't use cotton-tipped swabs to clean inside your ears, experts urge. CBC News. 9 January 2018 [10 January 2018] (加拿大英语).
- ^ Moore, Darrel. European Parliament Approves Law To Ban Single-Use Plastics. CIWM Journal Online. 28 March 2019 [28 March 2019]. (原始内容存档于30 March 2019).
- ^ Italy to ban microplastics used in rinse-off cosmetics products
. ChemicalWatch.com. [19 June 2018]. (原始内容存档于19 July 2018).
- ^ Combating Plastics in Monaco: On 1 January, Plastic Cotton Buds, Cups, Cutlery and Plates wereBanned. 6 January 2020.
- ^ Ban on plastic straws in England pushed back to October 2020. Edie.net. 22 May 2019 [16 April 2020] (英国英语).
- ^ Plastic-stemmed cotton buds now banned in Scotland. BBC News. 12 October 2019.
- ^ Wales unveils plans to ban single-use plastics from 2021. Edie.net. 19 March 2020.
- ^ Manx government proposes ban on single-use plastics. BBC News. 24 July 2019 [1 August 2019].