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Subscribe to RSSWe've all had those fuzzy mornings where we've nearly brushed our teeth with Neosporin, but a new study presented at an annual meeting of epidemiologists has found that prison inmates are purposefully misusing over-the-counter topical antibiotics as grooming aids.
The study, which asked 822 inmates at two New York State prisons about their use of OTC antibiotics such as Bacitracin (an ingredient found in Neosporin), found that 29 percent of the men and 28 percent of the women had used the ointment for dry skin, 18 percent of men and 15 percent of women had used it as a lip balm, 8 percent of men and 3 percent of women had used it as hair gel and 6 percent of men had slathered the ointment onto their face as a shaving cream.
"I think one reason they used the antibiotic ointments in these ways is because they didn't know they shouldn't," says Carolyn Herzig, a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and lead author of the study. "Or it might be that they didn't have easy access to other products."
Misuse or overuse of antibiotics is worrisome because it can lead to strains of antimicrobial resistant pathogens resulting in the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms such as MRSA, a strain of staph infection that's now resistant to methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, oxacillin, and many other antibiotics.
These pathogens are already a problem in prisons, and the "misuse of antibiotics in these facilities might exacerbate this issue," Herzig explains.
"We don't know specifically whether the overuse of topical antibiotics would lead to MRSA -- we don't have the data to demonstrate that -- but in many cases, in general, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance," says Herzig. "That's exactly what the concern is."
Herzig and her team of researchers tapped prison inmates as they were being admitted to two New York State maximum security prisons -- one men's and one women's. (The researcher declined to reveal the names of the prisons.)
"The question we asked was, 'Have you used antibiotic ointment in the past six months?'" she says. "They were entering the prison facilities from either jails or prisons or possibly, the community. If they served a sentence longer than six months, then they had used the ointments in other prisons or in county lockup. It's also possible that some of them used the ointments while they were not incarcerated but I would say the majority of them used them while incarcerated."
Medical personnel do dispense antibiotic ointments to inmates as needed; however, other items -- such as hair gel and shaving cream -- are harder to come by, Robin Campbell, press secretary for the New York City Department of Corrections (which includes Rikers Island and other Borough facilities), said in a statement.
"Facility medical personnel dispense antibiotic creams and ointments, like foot gels, to inmates on an as needed basis," he said in an email. "Although inmates may purchase some personal hygiene products, like shampoo, toothpaste and deodorant, from the facility commissary, shaving cream, lip balm and hair gel are prohibited due to security concerns."
Antibiotic resistance concerns aside -- would a Neosporin-like cream even work as a beauty aid? "I think they probably worked as well as Vaseline," says Herzig. "And I really think if they'd had lotion or Vaseline, that's what they would have used."
The study's findings were presented this week at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in San Antonio, Texas. Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the study was the first of its kind to report on the widespread misuse of topical antibiotics among inmates.
While Herzig says she's been unable to find any studies on the misuse of over-the-counter antibiotic ointments in everyday life, she is curious about inappropriate use of these products in normal populations.
"I've spent a lot of time looking at the literature to see if there's a comparable study that shows how people use these ointments in a community, but I haven't seen anything that reports that information," she says. "I suspect it is happening, though."
Melissa Rowton, a 41-year-old customer service trainer from Seattle, says she's used antibiotic ointments on blemishes before -- although she doesn't do it very often.
"I've used Neosporin for pimples and have a friend who swears by it," says Rowton. "It makes sense when they are often caused by bacteria. I wash and dry my face thoroughly and dab a small amount on any problem area before bed."
Herzig says none of the prisoners who answered the open-ended questionnaire indicated they'd used the antibiotic ointments in this way. However, in addition to using the topical antibiotics as hair gel, moisturizer and lip balm, many said they'd used the products in ways that were closer to their intended use.
"We got many reasons," she says. "Some used them for skin injuries, skin conditions including eczema and acne, fungal infection, or for new tattoos. We're not suggesting people should use antibiotics for all those reasons. But they're more appropriate than using them for lip balm or moisturizer."
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Leave a Comment:
"...a new study presented at an annual meeting of epidemiologists has found that prison inmates are purposefully misusing over-the-counter topical antibiotics as grooming aids...."
What is it with the author of this article? This is written with such bias as to have the reader believe that prisoners should be 'punished' for such "purposeful misuse" of these antibiotics. I am so tired of this narrow-minded rhetoric. Throw this idiot in jail so that they will get to the REAL root of the problem!
I have read that sentence several times and I'm sorry Mike, but you are absolutely over-reading. If a prisoner opens the cap, obtains a quantity of the ointment, and then uses it as a grooming aid that is purposeful. There is absolutely no issue with tone or intent in the word "purposeful" in this sentence. It differentiates a difference between accidental and intentional use. There is no comment in this article anywhere about punishing prisoners or anyone else for mis-using the ointment - EXCEPT in your comment. Relax?
Well the prison crowd isn't the most intelligent bunch now are they? If they were they would not be in prison.
This is a non-issue. It's not a health threat, and I can think of far worse things they might be using it for. This is one of those "who deemed this news" stories.
you ARE befuddled...or not reading the article
THERE IS A HEALTH THREAT TO ALL OF US. Antibiotic resistance from overuse of antibiotic is a huge and growing problem. It says so in the article....but have you not heard about this? Overuse of antibiotics even topical ones can lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria on your skin (where bacteria normally lives) and in the larger environment in general.
We have these infections in our hospitals now that no antibiotic can treat. Or few can treat so they are hard to treat. People die of these infections
You're right Laurali. I think a lot of people are still unaware of this.
Do you not understand that these action pose a threat to humanity? Abusing anti-bacterial substances helps to breed resistant strains of bacteria. If these bacteria make it out of jail then everyone is possibly at risk.
When listing what antibiotics MRSA is resistant to, it might be a good idea to list some from more than one class of antibiotics.
What caught my eye was the truly stupid declaration that "We've all had those fuzzy mornings where we've nearly brushed our teeth with Neosporin." I don't know what goes on in your household, but I've never heard of this happening to anyone I know. Come on, journalists, cut the generalizations (all, none, everybody, nobody).
I used hemmorhoid cream on accident once because it was where the toothpaste was. I think the writer was trying to normalize that sometimes people use products in the wrong way, whether on accident or on purpose. Just calm down about the "generalizations." It may not be the best writing since you shouldn't generalize to everyone something that everyone may not have done but are you really that offended by it? I mean, so you've never made a mistake while blurry-eyed in the morning. Good for you. But, lots of other people have.
Erin, same thing happened to me once. Instead of the toothpaste I grabbed the Preparation H. And I've heard of it happening to a lot of folks.
C'mon, get yourself a sense of humor!
My ex-husband once poured Old Bay seasoning on his cereal because the shaker was right next to the cinnamon. The worst part about the incident was that because he was too cheap to waste a bowl of cereal, he actually ate the nasty concoction. Ugh!
When traveling I have reached into my shaving kit, pulled out the antibiotic ointment and had the cap off before I realized it wasn't the toothpaste on at least 2 occasions. I'd like to think that even if I did put it on the toothbrush I would still catch myself but some mornings I'm no so sure that would even alert me to my error.
About the issue in the article- it seems to me that all the prison would have to do is make Vaseline (petroleum jelly which is the base of all ointment formulations) more readily available and that would solve most of the problem. Best of all it's really inexpensive- I would imagine that if they bought in bulk they could get 1 pound jars for well under a dollar apiece.
Hartvig, I'm not actually sure how I feel about making Vaseline more avaliable in a prison populated by males. I GUESS that would be better........It's just I don't think they will be putting it on their hair. Try lower.
I think they need a nurse putting the ointment on a wound that requires it otherwise they should not have access to the drug. I'd like to know why they won't give some personal products... pehaps if ingested would cause illness or death??? But death due to a non resistant infection is OK??? Not in my world.
It looked like a harmless humanizing sentence to me. We've all had bad mornings. Grow a sense of humor my friend.
Antibiotics should be controlled substances, and should not be dispensed for non-urgent issues until the patient has obtained a certification (after a multiple-choice exam) for proper antibiotic use and resistance. The certification should be more like a license, and should need renewing every five years. This should apply worldwide. Unfortunately, the government of our country isn't smart enough to control what really needs controlling, and instead focuses on victimless "crimes" such as marijuana use.
...or controlling nasal decongestants.
Pseudoephedrine is controlled because it is a vital ingredient in the production of meth. Any adult with congestion can always buy enough for proper personal use.
Umm, prison officials should stop despensing any antibiotic ointments. Period. End of problem.
While that might promote more sickness within the prisions its definately better than breeding super bacteria. Evolution's a bitch sometimes.
Friggin greasers... always causin' problems...
The vaseline gets used for other things. so they run out quick. Didn't know not to use neosporin as hair gel? read the label dumbass, And quit having butt sex so you'll have some vaseline left for other uses
speaking from experience?
"they were using it as hair gel.." yeah right! My first thought was I bet they were using it as lube!
It has been used as lube. I was visiting a former neighbor, and saw a tube of Neosporin on the floor in the living room. I picked it up and handed it to him, and he giggled..."was having some butt fun with the ol' lady last night...learned to use it when I was in prison". I doubt he was lying.
Your former neighbor was sure a talky guy about his sex life with his wife. I'm glad he's a former neighbor my friend.
Ew!
Get a clue, people. Hair gel?? Yeah, maybe that's where they're storing it, but it's not to keep their hair in place. Here's a couple of hints; it's PRISON, and "...I really think if they'd had lotion or Vaseline, that's what they would have used." Yep, I'm sure they would too; but since they don't, they'll use whatever prison gives them. I'll bet Bible pages make good rolling papers, too....
Prisoners using hair gel AT ALL should be worrisome. Get a clue, people..."hair gel"?? Yeah, I'm sure that's where they keep it, but it's not for keeping their hair in place. Here's a couple of hints; a) it's PRISON, and b), "...I really think if they'd had lotion or Vaseline, that's what they would have used."
Yep, I'm sure they would too, but since they don't allow that, for reasons that should be all too obvious, they'll make do with whatever the system will provide. I'll bet Bible pages make good rolling papers, too....
Prisoners with hair gel? Crap. They should be in cages. Nothing but life sustaining drugs, if needed. No vitamins, hair gel, deodorant, shavers, .... As barbarians against civil behavior, they should be treated like animals. They treated the rest of society like animals and have earned the time in a cage.
If I had to work at the jail - I'd be all for deororant for them. That many prisoners in one place with no deodorant.....could be deadly! ;-)
Jamie Alvarez,
Many prisoners are doing time for victimless crimes, such as possession of marijuana. Wanna explain what makes them "barbarians against civil behavior"? Seems to me that it is fine, upstanding citizens, such as yourself, that are more likely to be guilty of that offense.
Look, I'm all for marijuana legalization but to call it a victimless crime is a bit of a stretch. While the actual use may be victimless the truth of the matter is that blackmarket drug money keeps street gangs going which adds to violence. Look at Mexico, do you call dismembered bodies dumped by drug cartels victimless?
Breaking the law is not a valid form of protest. If most pot smokers spent as much time working on legalization as they do getting high, we'd be getting somewhere. Until that happens it is still a crime. The production and distribution of a drug is what makes it a crime, not its use.
Your vitriole against prisioners is largely baseless. What about people who go to jail for victimless crimes such as drugs or tax evasion? Although i do agree that prisioners do not need things like hair gel or other cosmetic products.
Do you not realize that those negative effects are the fault of the governments of the world for keeping said drugs illegal east coast?
I am not, and have never been a prisoner - but I have used Neosporin on the occasional pimple (like the story said, it's bacteria, and Neosporin cleans it out). I've also used it sparingly on eczema - and it really helps. It cleans it up, reduces the redness and itchiness, moisturizes it and makes it better faster. Personally, the steroid cream my doc prescribes for it helps as well, but I don't like using steroid filled cream constantly either.
I definitely wouldn't think to use it as a hair gel or lotion though. All over? That's a little much! I think any prison doctor should realize that perhaps someone isn't using Neosporin correctly if they're going through a tube a day!
I'm the same, I've used Neosporin on pimples. I also sometimes get a rash on the back of my hands from dry skin that I've used neosporin on. I don't use it all the time for these reasons, maybe two or three times a year. I find it interesting there is such a long article but even the article states the there's no data on whether topical antibiotics would lead to MRSA. I can't help but wonder how dangerous it is and how often prisoners are using antibiotic ointment for these purposes. It could be much ado about nothing.
Looks like Frank Zappa got it right on his "Thing Fish" album after all!
Go on now people, spread on some more of that Galoot Colognuh...that killer Colognuh!
"Mud shark"
Most of us remember those jokes in school about brushing one's teeth with Preparation H.
Iv tried them all and nothing feels more natural than saliva. Just spit on it and keep going.
"I think one reason they used the antibiotic ointments in these ways is because they didn't know they shouldn't," says Carolyn Herzig, a PhD
Would someone PLEASE take away those 3 letters following her name as nobody is that stupid - this is a ridiculous statement for somebody with this kind of education to make. Some people just like to hear themselves talk, even if they aren't saying anything of value.
The new study helps-a honest audit shows Jeb Bush withheld state prisoners state budgeted uniforms. These under state law-never issued and never accounted for. The uniforms intended to be issued-got issued and taken back from the transfer to destination at the time of arrival.Put back on the shelf to be accounted for as never issued.Meanwhile years these inmates wear rags that the state tax payers paid to have inmates uniformed in sanitary state issued uniforms.
After all-it's state property-they are allowed to falsify state records.
come on.
they arent allowed lip balm or shave cream for safety reasons? how about explaining what those are, article?
If you had no moisturiser or shave cream or lip balm and your lips were cracked and bleeding and your face getting infected with razor burn perhaps you too would try any ointment
they should just make some plain lotion available in the commesary. It will prevent infections. Beards are less santiary in close crouded quarters then the clean shaven. I don't use many produccts but without these their are times my lips would be bleeding and legs peeling with dry skin itching so i can't sleep. It really is like an OTC medicine, some form of topical moistureiser. THink how often we use multiple such products. Not having access to any of them would lead ANYONE not aware of the longterm probem to do it. In their shoes without anything else I can imagine using it.
Some people I read somewhere used to save their butter for such purposes.
Prison is not supposed to be enjoyable but some plain sort of lotion or balm is fine to sell along with the soap. Even in the third world they use oils for these purposes.
My thought too, maybe if they were allowed access to lip balm and shave cream then they would use those instead of antibiotic gels. Instead of calling it intentional misuse, how about saying they make use of what they have access to. And why on earth isn't toothpaste provided? Wouldn't it be cheaper to give an inmate a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush every couple of months instead of spending a lot more to fix rotting teeth? Get the stuff in plastic tube if they're afraid they'll try and make a weapon out of a metal tube.
Yeah, I wondered about the lip balm. I mean, I guess I could understand the shaving cream, because there's a lot more of it, so it could possibly become a problem (ever seen a small child get a hold and figure out how to work it when mom is taking a shower?) but lip balm? Really?
Why dont they just give them vaseline instaead?
Duh, what do you expect. I can tell you that in the Georgia Department of Corrections inmates use Welbutron for eye shadow, and that make a cocktail from other psychotropic meds, crushed, mixed, and smoked. A few snorted the stuff and said it gave them a erection for days. What a job (MH Counselor) that was, what an experience, never again!
lmao! loved hearing your stories, lol!
oh great. three hots, a cot, medical service, library, telvision, computer, all free. and what's next? HAIRSPRAY!
i'm suprised they aren't giving hairspray to the prisoners already.
Inmates are not known for being terribly intelligent.
Laurali
come on.
they arent allowed lip balm or shave cream for safety reasons? how about explaining what those are, article?
If you had no moisturiser or shave cream or lip balm and your lips were cracked and bleeding and your face getting infected with razor burn perhaps you too would try any ointment
they should just make some plain lotion available in the commesary. It will prevent infections. Beards are less santiary in close crouded quarters then the clean shaven. I don't use many produccts but without these their are times my lips would be bleeding and legs peeling with dry skin itching so i can't sleep. It really is like an OTC medicine, some form of topical moistureiser. THink how often we use multiple such products. Not having access to any of them would lead ANYONE not aware of the longterm probem to do it. In their shoes without anything else I can imagine using it.
Some people I read somewhere used to save their butter for such purposes.
Prison is not supposed to be enjoyable but some plain sort of lotion or balm is fine to sell along with the soap. Even in the third world they use oils for these purposes.
#17 - Thu Jun 7, 2012 5:40 PM CDT
ScorpionsFan
My thought too, maybe if they were allowed access to lip balm and shave cream then they would use those instead of antibiotic gels. Instead of calling it intentional misuse, how about saying they make use of what they have access to. And why on earth isn't toothpaste provided? Wouldn't it be cheaper to give an inmate a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush every couple of months instead of spending a lot more to fix rotting teeth? Get the stuff in plastic tube if they're afraid they'll try and make a weapon out of a metal tube.
They are not allowed shaving cream because that requires a razor and razors are terribly dangerous in the hands of a pissed off prisoner. They are not allowed toothpaste because that requires a toothbrush which can be sharpened into a stabbing implement. Cmon people i know next to nothing about the realities of prison yet in spite of this lack of knowledge i still manage to know these reasons. Surely you guys possess enough intelligence to divine these reasons yourselves.
Prisoners are using antibiotics in inappropriate ways, why should the rest of us be concerned, why is this a problem? It is a great big problem, for all of us, because of the certain demonstrable fact of evolution. Not The Theory of Evolution mind you but the witnessed fact of the evolution of resistance to antibiotics in bacteria that are repeatedly exposed to sublethal quantities of the drugs.
Suppose you get an infection in a wound, your doctor gives you a prescription for ten days worth of pills to eat to cure it and in three days you feel fine, so you figure you've got some leftovers to use the next time around. Wrong, when the infection comes roaring back in a few days, because you only killed off the weak ones, the problem will be that now you've got only the strongest going after you and the rest of those pills are not going to be enough to get control of the situation. You've cause a tiny ratchet-up in that strain's resistance to that antibiotic.
You have been the cause of, a witness to, and fallen victim to, a little bit of Evolution by means of Natural Selection and you are now dispensing the product, meaner bugs, to the world at large.
Antibiotics are dangerous drugs, you misuse morphine you might die from it, you misuse antibiotics you might die from that too but you have, in doing so, increased the danger of such a death to all of us.
They wouldn't be in prison if they were smart enough to lead an honest life. What makes you think they're smart enough to use that stuff properly? You have to be able to read the instructions.
Force them to keep their heads shaved, and while we're at it, take most of their luxuries too.
What they need is a sledge hammer, and a big rock to bust into little pieces. If they need some lube for the
various sexual practices they partake of, then I'd suggest that they use their saliva, and lick each others a$$es beforehand... and while I'm thinking about it, no mouthwash either.
Oops! I forgot... You liberals are much more concerned with their "rights".
Too bad that their use of the Neosporin doesn't eliminate them altogether, being the infection that they are on our society.
Well im not a liberal but i stand against the majority of your position. Most inmates could be rehabilitated and released back into society just fine. However i do agree that violent inmates should not be treated as well as they are.