Paranoid Products: Are We There Yet?

Let me be the first to assert: I am not paranoid about bird flu --- just cautiously pessimistic.

Besides, why shouldn't one make regular use of products like alcohol-based hand cleaner? The new hand cleaners feel good, and they make good health sense even in a non-pandemic world.

Going a step further and acquiring N95 masks, Tamiflu, and a few months of emergency food supplies --- well, these are more substantial actions. Nevertheless, there is nothing in this list that has not been strongly advocated by one or another of the world's leading health experts.

A Product Too Far?

Still, there are products that do go too far, and I am not talking about HEPA air filtering systems for the home. HEPA systems are expensive and perhaps over-the-top, but one can still make a solid argument for them. At a minimum, seasonal allergy sufferers are likely to get valuable help.

No, to qualify as a paranoid product, it has to be truly goofy.

Yes, candidates are starting to appear. One of these was recently reported at Strange New Products, one of my favorite sites. Are you ready?

Sanitary Handles for Shopping Carts!

The product post for July 04, 2006 observes that the Healthy Handle helps you push around a shopping cart without having to worry about getting germs on your hands. It's your first line of defense against the dreadful shopping cart-borne diseases.

The product review notes that "the red plastic handle can be slipped over a shopping cart's handle. When not in use, it can shrink down by pushing the ends together, like a telescope."

You've got to check out the picture via SNP's Perma Link: Sanitary Handle.

Fun to laugh at; insane to buy.