BOZEMAN, Mont., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A Montana State University scientist is using a $1.7 million U.S. Environmental Protection agency grant to make sure antibacterial products are effective.
The five-year contract awarded Research Professor Darla Goeres is designed to produce tests that make sure when a product claims it kills "99 percent" of bacteria, it really does so.
Goeres uses biofilms -- extremely common communities of bacteria that form on most wet surfaces, such as plaque on teeth and the slime on streamside rocks.
Most biofilms are harmless, but some have been linked to ailments such as urinary tract infections and gingivitis.
"The EPA contract provides a solid basis of support," Goeres said. "That's why we can be one of the few labs in the world that can focus on methods development.
"Every time a person buys a product with an EPA-approved efficacy claim, such as 'kills 99 percent of bacteria,' the public trusts the validity of the process used to prove that claim. Our goal is to grow bacteria in a way that's relevant to how the bacteria exist where the product is used," she said. "That way, we can have more confidence in the product's actual effectiveness, and so can the public."
