article

[Guest guest]

Stacey,

My initial reaction was that acidifying

sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is not a good idea for the reason you expressed.

However, I talked with some biosafety professionals and their take is that,

with respect to anthrax, the risk is worth the benefit during an emergency event. Acidification of

bleach by professionals who have used this method is controlled to minimize CL2

gas release. Results have shown a remarkable increase in efficiency to “kill†or

inactivate anthrax spores, which is no easy task. See excerpted reference below

provided by a biosafety friend of mine which documents a literature search on

the subject.

Inactivation of Bacillus

anthracis Spores

Emerging Infectious Diseases • Vol. 9, No. 6, June 2003

Ellen A. Spotts Whitney,* Mark E. Beatty,*

H. , Jr.,* Robbin Weyant,*

Sobel,* J. Arduino,* and

A. Ashford*

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicates that use of

sodium hypochlorite as a sporicide is applicable under an emergency exemption

(Section 18: Crisis Exemption; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide

Act); as such, sodium hypochlorite may be used under the conditions specified

(32). Given these conditions, the sporicidal effectiveness of hypochlorite

solutions depends on the concentration of free available chlorine and pH.

Common household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) has a pH of 12 to prolong its

shelf life. To achieve effective sporicidal activity, bleach must be diluted with

water to increase the free available chlorine and acetic acid to change the pH

of the solution to 7 (11).

Organic matter may decrease the sporicidal efficiency of sodium

hypochlorite (33).

According

to research quoted in this paper, a 0.05% Sodium hypochlorite solution with pH

7.0 @ 20°C inactivated 99.99% of the spores in 30 min., while the same solution

with pH 11.0 only killed 50 % of the spores.

The array of toxic chemicals used to inactivate

anthrax spores at anywhere near this efficiency include formaldehyde and chlorine

dioxide (among others) - by comparison acidized bleach with controlled release

of chlorine gas is pretty tame.

Biosafety professionals and researchers

will attest that efficient decontamination of anthrax spores in a controlled research

setting is difficult (at best); and if its found to be necessary in a

public/residential space (regardless of the decon method) it is best left to

biosafety experts in conjunction with emergency response personnel equipped to

deal with the anthrax threat as well as the risk associated with

decontamination. This begs the question of the usefulness of publishing this

information in a general public newspaper to start with.

N. Walsh

Louisiana State University

Health & Safety Officer

twalsh@...

From:

iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Stacey Champion

Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006

4:44 PM

To: iequality

Subject: RE: article

Thanks Tony.

Yes – gas not fume… I hadn’t

consumed my much needed morning caffeine and thought this was rather odd.

If this were indeed true, one would think

that studies would abound, no?

-S.C.

From:

iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Tony Havics

Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006

12:10 PM

To: iequality

Subject: RE: article

True. Sodium hypochlorite

(typical active component in bleach) is alkaline/basic (and created

that way for stability reasons) and it will react with

acidic compounds, including acetic acid in vinegar to produce chlorine gas

(a toxic gas - not a fume). This would include the HCl in many bath

cleaners, muriatic acid in concrete cleaners, etc.

The amount necessary to create a true

inhalation hazard depends upon reaction, pH difference, air changes, etc.

Regardless, it is not a good idea to mix

them unless you are creating an intentional demostrational weapon (see for

example Lecker's " Improvised Explosives, How to Make Your Own " ).

Tony

...........................................................................

" Tony " Havics, CHMM, CIH, PE

pH2, LLC

PO Box 34140

Indianapolis, IN 46234

cell

90% of Risk Management is knowing where to place the decimal point...any

consultant can give you the other 10%â„ 

This message is from pH2. This message and any attachments may contain legally

privileged or confidential information, and are intended only for the

individual or entity identified above as the addressee. If you are not the

addressee, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, you are not

authorized to read, copy, or distribute this message and any attachments, and

we ask that you please delete this message and attachments (including all

copies) and notify the sender by return e-mail or by phone at .

Delivery of this message and any attachments to any person other than the

intended recipient(s) is not intended in any way to waive confidentiality or a

privilege. All personal messages express views only of the sender, which are

not to be attributed to pH2 and may not be copied or distributed without this

statement.

article

Group –

Someone please tell me if I have lost my mind… Is it

not true that if you mix chlorine bleach with any acidic cleaner, you have the

likely potential of creating toxic fumes?

See: Gaseous chlorine decays the skin and eyes.

Furthermore, there is even risk of death at high concentrations. Please be

careful when using these cleaners.

Hypochlorous acid also generates gaseous chlorine in the presence of not only

hydrochloric acid but also other acids, such as acetic acid (CH3COOH,

vinegar).

I am concerned that the majority of consumers out there

often times think “stronger is better†and would potentially forego the diluting.

Even so, would it not have possibly detrimental effects?

Thanks.

Stacey Champion

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/13903136.htm

Vinegar and bleach

make anthrax-killer

Combo destroys most

microbes in 20 minutes or less, study says

NANCY KERCHEVAL

Bloomberg News

A

cup of white vinegar gives diluted household bleach enough strength to kill

almost any disease-causing microbe, including anthrax spores contaminating

surfaces, according to a study by MicroChem Lab Inc.

Vinegar changes the

character of household bleach from alkaline to acidic and makes it 80 to 200

times more effective at being an antimicrobial product, said Norman Miner,

Microchem president and a researcher on the study presented on Friday at the

American Society for Microbiology Biodefense Research meeting in Washington.

Miner said household

bleaches manufactured and sold in an alkaline state are relatively ineffective

at killing disease-causing microbes. The vinegar gives bleach enough kick to

fight bacteria, fungi, viruses and spores.

" Bleach has

been used as a disinfectant for decades. People just assume it will kill

everything on a countertop, " Miner said in an interview.

" It's one of

the myths. "

Bleach can't be

bottled in an acidic state because it's unstable, Miner said in an interview.

After a day, it would start losing the chlorine that gives it its bleaching

power.

Researchers tested

the vinegar recipe on dried bacterial spores, considered the most resistant to

disinfectants used on microbes, the Euless, Texas-based company said.

After researchers

swabbed surfaces with the acidic dilution, all the spores were dead in 20

minutes, Miner said. An alkaline dilution left only 2.5 percent of the areas

free of microbes after the same amount of time.

Emergency

Aid

" In the event

of an emergency involving Bacillus anthracis spores contaminating such

environmental surfaces as counter tops, desk and table tops, and floors, for

example, virtually every household has a sporicidal sterilant available in the

form of diluted, acidified bleach, " Miner said in a statement.The

vinegar-laced bleach also killed aspergillus negri, commonly recognized by most

people as the black fungi that infect the tile grout of shower stalls, Miner

said.

" Diluted bleach

at an alkaline pH is a relatively poor disinfectant, but acidified diluted

bleach will virtually kill anything in 10 to 20 minutes, " Miner said.

The

recipe

Dilute one cup of

household bleach in one gallon of water and then add one cup of white vinegar.

Norman Miner,

Microchem president, said the concept of making bleach acidic to heighten its

germ-killing capacity isn't new, but not many consumers know about the recipe.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tom.

This was my concern from the get-go, as I feared the

masses reading this article would think it a good idea to hurry up and kill all

the germs and mold in their homes by breaking out the bucket and forgetting the

dilution factor!  Yikes! 

I tried to reach this reporter to point this out to her,

but had limited time and didn’t track her down…

Interesting stuff…  Ahhhh – the media, eh?!

-Stacey

From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of N. Walsh

Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006

2:01 PM

To: iequality

Subject: RE: article

Stacey,

My initial reaction was that acidifying

sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is not a good idea for the reason you expressed.

However, I talked with some biosafety professionals and their take is that, with

respect to anthrax, the risk is worth the benefit during an emergency event. Acidification of

bleach by professionals who have used this method is controlled to minimize CL2

gas release. Results have shown a remarkable increase in efficiency to “killâ€

or inactivate anthrax spores, which is no easy task. See excerpted reference

below provided by a biosafety friend of mine which documents a literature

search on the subject.

Inactivation of Bacillus

anthracis Spores

Emerging Infectious Diseases • Vol. 9, No. 6, June 2003

Ellen A. Spotts Whitney,* Mark E. Beatty,*

H. , Jr.,* Robbin Weyant,*

Sobel,* J. Arduino,* and

A. Ashford*

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicates that use of

sodium hypochlorite as a sporicide is applicable under an emergency exemption

(Section 18: Crisis Exemption; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide

Act); as such, sodium hypochlorite may be used under the conditions specified

(32). Given these conditions, the sporicidal effectiveness of hypochlorite

solutions depends on the concentration of free available chlorine and pH.

Common household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) has a pH of 12 to prolong its

shelf life. To achieve effective sporicidal activity, bleach must be diluted

with water to increase the free available chlorine and acetic acid to change

the pH of the solution to 7 (11).

Organic matter may decrease the sporicidal efficiency of sodium

hypochlorite (33).

According

to research quoted in this paper, a 0.05% Sodium hypochlorite solution with pH

7.0 @ 20°C inactivated 99.99% of the spores in 30 min., while the same solution

with pH 11.0 only killed 50 % of the spores.

The array of toxic chemicals used to

inactivate anthrax spores at anywhere near this efficiency include formaldehyde

and chlorine dioxide (among others) - by comparison acidized bleach with

controlled release of chlorine gas is pretty tame.

Biosafety professionals and researchers

will attest that efficient decontamination of anthrax spores in a controlled

research setting is difficult (at best); and if its found to be necessary in a

public/residential space (regardless of the decon method) it is best left to

biosafety experts in conjunction with emergency response personnel equipped to

deal with the anthrax threat as well as the risk associated with

decontamination. This begs the question of the usefulness of publishing this

information in a general public newspaper to start with.

N. Walsh

Louisiana State University

Health & Safety Officer

twalsh@...

From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Stacey Champion

Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006

4:44 PM

To: iequality

Subject: RE: article

Thanks Tony.

Yes – gas not fume… I hadn’t

consumed my much needed morning caffeine and thought this was rather odd.

If this were indeed true, one would think

that studies would abound, no?

-S.C.

From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Tony Havics

Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006

12:10 PM

To: iequality

Subject: RE: article

True. Sodium hypochlorite

(typical active component in bleach) is alkaline/basic (and created

that way for stability reasons) and it will react with

acidic compounds, including acetic acid in vinegar to produce chlorine gas

(a toxic gas - not a fume). This would include the HCl in many bath

cleaners, muriatic acid in concrete cleaners, etc.

The amount necessary to create a true

inhalation hazard depends upon reaction, pH difference, air changes, etc.

Regardless, it is not a good idea to mix

them unless you are creating an intentional demostrational weapon (see for example

Lecker's " Improvised Explosives, How to Make Your Own " ).

Tony

...........................................................................

" Tony " Havics, CHMM, CIH, PE

pH2, LLC

PO Box 34140

Indianapolis, IN 46234

cell

90% of Risk Management is knowing where to place the decimal point...any

consultant can give you the other 10%â„ 

This message is from pH2. This message and any attachments may contain legally

privileged or confidential information, and are intended only for the

individual or entity identified above as the addressee. If you are not the

addressee, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, you are not

authorized to read, copy, or distribute this message and any attachments, and we

ask that you please delete this message and attachments (including all copies)

and notify the sender by return e-mail or by phone at . Delivery of

this message and any attachments to any person other than the intended

recipient(s) is not intended in any way to waive confidentiality or a

privilege. All personal messages express views only of the sender, which are

not to be attributed to pH2 and may not be copied or distributed without this

statement.

article

Group –

Someone please tell me if I have lost my mind… Is it

not true that if you mix chlorine bleach with any acidic cleaner, you have the

likely potential of creating toxic fumes?

See: Gaseous chlorine decays the skin and eyes.

Furthermore, there is even risk of death at high concentrations. Please be

careful when using these cleaners.

Hypochlorous acid also generates gaseous chlorine in the presence of not only

hydrochloric acid but also other acids, such as acetic acid (CH3COOH,

vinegar).

I am concerned that the majority of consumers out there

often times think “stronger is better†and would potentially forego the

diluting. Even so, would it not have possibly detrimental effects?

Thanks.

Stacey Champion

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/13903136.htm

Vinegar and

bleach make anthrax-killer

Combo destroys most

microbes in 20 minutes or less, study says

NANCY KERCHEVAL

Bloomberg News

A

cup of white vinegar gives diluted household bleach enough strength to kill

almost any disease-causing microbe, including anthrax spores contaminating

surfaces, according to a study by MicroChem Lab Inc.

Vinegar changes the

character of household bleach from alkaline to acidic and makes it 80 to 200

times more effective at being an antimicrobial product, said Norman Miner,

Microchem president and a researcher on the study presented on Friday at the

American Society for Microbiology Biodefense Research meeting in Washington.

Miner said household

bleaches manufactured and sold in an alkaline state are relatively ineffective

at killing disease-causing microbes. The vinegar gives bleach enough kick to

fight bacteria, fungi, viruses and spores.

" Bleach has

been used as a disinfectant for decades. People just assume it will kill

everything on a countertop, " Miner said in an interview.

" It's one of

the myths. "

Bleach can't be

bottled in an acidic state because it's unstable, Miner said in an interview.

After a day, it would start losing the chlorine that gives it its bleaching power.

Researchers tested

the vinegar recipe on dried bacterial spores, considered the most resistant to

disinfectants used on microbes, the Euless, Texas-based company said.

After researchers

swabbed surfaces with the acidic dilution, all the spores were dead in 20

minutes, Miner said. An alkaline dilution left only 2.5 percent of the areas

free of microbes after the same amount of time.

Emergency

Aid

" In the event

of an emergency involving Bacillus anthracis spores contaminating such environmental

surfaces as counter tops, desk and table tops, and floors, for example,

virtually every household has a sporicidal sterilant available in the form of

diluted, acidified bleach, " Miner said in a statement.The vinegar-laced

bleach also killed aspergillus negri, commonly recognized by most people as the

black fungi that infect the tile grout of shower stalls, Miner said.

" Diluted bleach

at an alkaline pH is a relatively poor disinfectant, but acidified diluted

bleach will virtually kill anything in 10 to 20 minutes, " Miner said.

The

recipe

Dilute one cup of

household bleach in one gallon of water and then add one cup of white vinegar.

Norman Miner,

Microchem president, said the concept of making bleach acidic to heighten its

germ-killing capacity isn't new, but not many consumers know about the recipe.

[Guest guest]



Stacey, Tom Walsh,

Wouldn't the NASA developed technology recently mentioned last week [photocatalysis] be much more effective and safer than a chlorine or a bleach treatment??

See: http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/news/releases/2002/02-056.html

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/01feb_anthrax.htm?list600577

RE: article

Thanks Tom.

This was my concern from the get-go, as I feared the masses reading this article would think it a good idea to hurry up and kill all the germs and mold in their homes by breaking out the bucket and forgetting the dilution factor! Yikes!

I tried to reach this reporter to point this out to her, but had limited time and didn’t track her down…

Interesting stuff… Ahhhh – the media, eh?!

-Stacey

From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of N. WalshSent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 2:01 PMTo: iequality Subject: RE: article

Stacey,

My initial reaction was that acidifying sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is not a good idea for the reason you expressed. However, I talked with some biosafety professionals and their take is that, with respect to anthrax, the risk is worth the benefit during an emergency event. Acidification of bleach by professionals who have used this method is controlled to minimize CL2 gas release. Results have shown a remarkable increase in efficiency to “kill†or inactivate anthrax spores, which is no easy task. See excerpted reference below provided by a biosafety friend of mine which documents a literature search on the subject.

Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Spores

Emerging Infectious Diseases • Vol. 9, No. 6, June 2003

Ellen A. Spotts Whitney,* Mark E. Beatty,* H. , Jr.,* Robbin Weyant,*

Sobel,* J. Arduino,* and A. Ashford*

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicates that use of sodium hypochlorite as a sporicide is applicable under an emergency exemption (Section 18: Crisis Exemption; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act); as such, sodium hypochlorite may be used under the conditions specified (32). Given these conditions, the sporicidal effectiveness of hypochlorite solutions depends on the concentration of free available chlorine and pH. Common household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) has a pH of 12 to prolong its shelf life. To achieve effective sporicidal activity, bleach must be diluted with water to increase the free available chlorine and acetic acid to change the pH of the solution to 7 (11).

Organic matter may decrease the sporicidal efficiency of sodium hypochlorite (33).

According to research quoted in this paper, a 0.05% Sodium hypochlorite solution with pH 7.0 @ 20°C inactivated 99.99% of the spores in 30 min., while the same solution with pH 11.0 only killed 50 % of the spores.

The array of toxic chemicals used to inactivate anthrax spores at anywhere near this efficiency include formaldehyde and chlorine dioxide (among others) - by comparison acidized bleach with controlled release of chlorine gas is pretty tame.

Biosafety professionals and researchers will attest that efficient decontamination of anthrax spores in a controlled research setting is difficult (at best); and if its found to be necessary in a public/residential space (regardless of the decon method) it is best left to biosafety experts in conjunction with emergency response personnel equipped to deal with the anthrax threat as well as the risk associated with decontamination. This begs the question of the usefulness of publishing this information in a general public newspaper to start with.

N. Walsh

Louisiana State University

Health & Safety Officer

twalsh@...

From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Stacey ChampionSent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 4:44 PMTo: iequality Subject: RE: article

Thanks Tony.

Yes – gas not fume… I hadn’t consumed my much needed morning caffeine and thought this was rather odd.

If this were indeed true, one would think that studies would abound, no?

-S.C.

From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Tony HavicsSent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 12:10 PMTo: iequality Subject: RE: article

True. Sodium hypochlorite (typical active component in bleach) is alkaline/basic (and created that way for stability reasons) and it will react with acidic compounds, including acetic acid in vinegar to produce chlorine gas (a toxic gas - not a fume). This would include the HCl in many bath cleaners, muriatic acid in concrete cleaners, etc.

The amount necessary to create a true inhalation hazard depends upon reaction, pH difference, air changes, etc.

Regardless, it is not a good idea to mix them unless you are creating an intentional demostrational weapon (see for example Lecker's "Improvised Explosives, How to Make Your Own").

Tony

.......................................................................... "Tony" Havics, CHMM, CIH, PEpH2, LLCPO Box 34140Indianapolis, IN 46234 cell90% of Risk Management is knowing where to place the decimal point...any consultant can give you the other 10%â„ This message is from pH2. This message and any attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information, and are intended only for the individual or entity identified above as the addressee. If you are not the addressee, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, you are not authorized to read, copy, or distribute this message and any attachments, and we ask that you please delete this message and attachments (including all copies) and notify the sender by return e-mail or by phone at . Delivery of this message and any attachments to any person other than the intended recipient(s) is not intended in any way to waive confidentiality or a privilege. All personal messages express views only of the sender, which are not to be attributed to pH2 and may not be copied or distributed without this statement.

-----Original Message-----From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Stacey ChampionSent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 10:54 AMTo: iequality Subject: article

Group –

Someone please tell me if I have lost my mind… Is it not true that if you mix chlorine bleach with any acidic cleaner, you have the likely potential of creating toxic fumes?

See: Gaseous chlorine decays the skin and eyes. Furthermore, there is even risk of death at high concentrations. Please be careful when using these cleaners.Hypochlorous acid also generates gaseous chlorine in the presence of not only hydrochloric acid but also other acids, such as acetic acid (CH3COOH, vinegar).

I am concerned that the majority of consumers out there often times think “stronger is better†and would potentially forego the diluting. Even so, would it not have possibly detrimental effects?

Thanks.

Stacey Champion

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/13903136.htm

Vinegar and bleach make anthrax-killer

Combo destroys most microbes in 20 minutes or less, study says

NANCY KERCHEVAL

Bloomberg News

A cup of white vinegar gives diluted household bleach enough strength to kill almost any disease-causing microbe, including anthrax spores contaminating surfaces, according to a study by MicroChem Lab Inc.

Vinegar changes the character of household bleach from alkaline to acidic and makes it 80 to 200 times more effective at being an antimicrobial product, said Norman Miner, Microchem president and a researcher on the study presented on Friday at the American Society for Microbiology Biodefense Research meeting in Washington.

Miner said household bleaches manufactured and sold in an alkaline state are relatively ineffective at killing disease-causing microbes. The vinegar gives bleach enough kick to fight bacteria, fungi, viruses and spores.

"Bleach has been used as a disinfectant for decades. People just assume it will kill everything on a countertop," Miner said in an interview.

"It's one of the myths."

Bleach can't be bottled in an acidic state because it's unstable, Miner said in an interview. After a day, it would start losing the chlorine that gives it its bleaching power.

Researchers tested the vinegar recipe on dried bacterial spores, considered the most resistant to disinfectants used on microbes, the Euless, Texas-based company said.

After researchers swabbed surfaces with the acidic dilution, all the spores were dead in 20 minutes, Miner said. An alkaline dilution left only 2.5 percent of the areas free of microbes after the same amount of time.

Emergency Aid

"In the event of an emergency involving Bacillus anthracis spores contaminating such environmental surfaces as counter tops, desk and table tops, and floors, for example, virtually every household has a sporicidal sterilant available in the form of diluted, acidified bleach," Miner said in a statement.The vinegar-laced bleach also killed aspergillus negri, commonly recognized by most people as the black fungi that infect the tile grout of shower stalls, Miner said.

"Diluted bleach at an alkaline pH is a relatively poor disinfectant, but acidified diluted bleach will virtually kill anything in 10 to 20 minutes," Miner said.

The recipe

Dilute one cup of household bleach in one gallon of water and then add one cup of white vinegar.

Norman Miner, Microchem president, said the concept of making bleach acidic to heighten its germ-killing capacity isn't new, but not many consumers know about the recipe.

[Guest guest]

Thought this may be of interest to some…

Lawsuit

claims contractors responsible for water-damaged dorms

Daily Press - Newport News,VA,USA

.... brick facades, repair water damage

and remove mold. ... Hoffler argued that residential construction is typically

under ... issues and 10 years for structural defects. ...

Stacey Champion

Owner/Consultant

Champion Indoor Environmental Services, LLC

Champion Indoors, LLC

[Guest guest]

Ugh, this article again. This was published in the UK's Daily Mail with the

sole purpose of drumming up snark, mostly from women - and it did a

superlative job. I'm not going to direct any snark at the supposed writer

of this article, but I will say that she is almost a dead ringer for my

boss, and her dress style doesn't differ greatly either. My boss doesn't

elicit *any* kind of discrimination or jealousy from the other people in

the office - she is a wonderfully sensible, sensitive woman with a good

head on her shoulders.

While there may be some women out there who treat other women badly because

they're slim/beautiful and for no other reason (and yes, I have heard the

" OMG she MUST be an anorexic " comment directed at one of my friends, and

not in a " poor love, how can we help her " kinda way) I'd say that for the

most part, the way that beautiful woman treats others is fairly well

correlated with how she is treated in return.

Your question is interesting though - regardless of what the reality is, do

some people unconsciously *choose* to stay overweight so that they don't

get the jealousy snark? I can't say it's a choice I've ever made. And I can

say that when I was 50lbs lighter than I am today (having lost weight

dramatically from well above where I am today) people definitely treated me

differently. There's no doubt. They were nicer to me. They were more

respectful. They listened more to what I had to say - both men and women.

In fact, one of my towards motivations is that I suspect that I'll be ready

to move to a more senior position in my professional life by this time next

year, and I don't want to be too overweight during my job hunt - I feel

that this does affect potential employers' assessments of a candidate.

(especially in my profession - I'm in IT)

I'm not sure I totally answered your question, - more of a ramble

really.

Not sure how to fix the " displaying names " issue, sorry!

Charlotte xx

> **

>

>

> What do you think about this article?

>

http://intentious.com/2012/04/04/the-downsides-to-looking-pretty-discrimination-\

against-beautiful-women/

>

> Do you think that it is common for a person to stay fat to ward off

> jealousy?

>

> Also, why does my full name and email address show when I make a post? I

> would rather it didn't.

>

>

>