How does freezing kill bacteria

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An official website of the United States government. Have a Question? According to the National Center for Cold Water Safety , any water below 70 degrees Fahrenheit can be dangerous to people, especially if you are submerged in it for a long time. The cold shock of the water can cause you to lose control of your breathing. As with cold water temperatures, cold air temperatures can also be dangerous for people. Since the evidence shows colder temperatures won't really kill bacteria and germs, unless they are dangerously cold, there's no need to turn off your heat or crank up your air conditioning in an effort to sanitize your home.

In fact, freezing yourself could cause you more problems and freezing your home could cause structural damage. Fresh air also won't help kill any germs, but it can help create air flow in your home to assist in removing dust or bad smells. Extreme cold temperatures can kill some germs, but the cold temperatures you can typically achieve at home can only slow them down. It's great that you're looking for alternatives to things like heat, alcohol, or disinfectant cleaners for getting rid of germs, but cold water or air probably isn't your best option.

Do Cold Temperatures Kill Germs? Science and health researchers and experts agree that cold temperatures don't kill all germs. Dermatologist Alok Vij shares in a Cleveland Clinic article that you need to reach a temperature of 80 degrees below freezing or even colder to actually kill bacteria and other germs.

In an NPR report after a E. Since your household freezer is probably the coldest thing in your home, and it's only about degrees Fahrenheit, the U. Cold Temperatures and Bacteria While cold temperatures don't necessarily kill bacteria, they can slow or stop the growth of bacteria. Cold Temperatures and Viruses Cold temperatures don't really kill most viruses either. Freezing Kills Bed Bugs While freezing fabrics won't kill germs, there is evidence that it kills bed bugs.

Ice and Germs A group of researchers looking at frozen flu viruses found that the low pH of frozen water could inactivate a virus if the virus is frozen directly in water.

Cold Water and the Human Body You might still be tempted to use cold water to help disinfect yourself, but cold water can be dangerous for people. Germs Don't Care About Cold Extreme cold temperatures can kill some germs, but the cold temperatures you can typically achieve at home can only slow them down. By Michele Meleen. By Mychelle Blake. By Gabrielle Applebury. By Jennifer L. Freezing kills microorganisms by physical and chemical effects and possibly through induced genetic changes.

Research is needed to better understand the physical and chemical interactions of various food matrices with the microbial cell during freezing and holding at frozen temperatures. The literature suggests that many pathogenic microorganisms may be sublethally injured by freezing, so research should be done to determine how to prevent injured cells from resuscitating and becoming infectious.

Studies on the genetics of microbial stress suggest that the induction of resistance to specific stresses may be counteracted by, for example, simple chemicals.