Hi fellow climbers,
I am a avid climber who loves rock/wall climbing. I am also a researcher at University of British Columbia.

Quite a few time ago , after rock climbing , i developed a red bite kind of things on my hands. I thought it is a spider bite , but doctor told me that it is an bacterial infection i get from cuts on my fingers.


Luckily, I got to know that some other person is also doing a similar study, so we partnered and developed an antiseptic,antibacterial chalk for rock-climbing.

In order to get funds to actually bring this in market , I need to prove that is there any market for this product.

Do you (climbers) care for infection safety while rock climbing? How concerned are you?

If you climbers have an option to buy this antibacterial chalk versus traditional chalk ?

Even after trying a lot we couldn't able bring the cost to same as that of traditional chalk. Will you be willing to pay 10% extra cost for this new Chalk?

Please give you genuine answers for above questions. And support me develop something to enhance the safety of fellow climbers .

P.S. This chalk will work very similar to traditional chalk .it will come in the form of chalk ball in chalk bag.

Completely unconcerned. Additionally, whatever it is that kills things better than the drying action of chalk is probably not something I want on my skin and in my lungs.

Folks ...The question here is ...will you buy antibacterial chalk over old traditional chalk?

No. A stupid idea.

Thanks folk for your genuine feedback....

1 thing worth mentioning is that this chalk is also made up of magnesium carbonate, therefore drying action will be exactly same , plus it gives safety..

Thanks folk for your genuine feedback....

1 thing worth mentioning is that this chalk is also made up of magnesium carbonate, therefore drying action will be exactly same , plus it gives safety..

I've always been worried about infections and stuff. That's why I down a shit load of scotch after every climb, my blood stream won't support any type of life except my own.

Thats true, some people react immediately to foreign antibodies.


Just sharing an observation of indoor wall climbing with you.

When one climber climbs a wall , on tough rocks, he is very likely to have a micro cut/abrasion on his/her fingers. During this micro cut, there is a possibility of micro blood to remain on that rock.

Then next climber will use this same rocks to climb up and is likely to get a micro cut on his fingers from same rocks pieces..

I guess you can see where I am going....


P.S. there is ZERO possibility of potentially dangerous blood transfusion diseases such as HIV because no contact is happening at same time as it happen in sex.

My biggest concern (other than breathing it in) would be having it on your hands for hours on end. Antibacterial soap does its thing and you wash it off. I don't wash chalk off of my hands after each use. It stays there until I'm done climbing and possibly longer depending on where the nearest water supply is.

When one climber climbs a wall , on tough rocks, he is very likely to have a micro cut/abrasion on his/her fingers. During this micro cut, there is a possibility of micro blood to remain on that rock.

Moonbutt, two questions:

1. The widespread use of anti-bacterial agents is thought to be a contributor to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial. Furthermore, I would be concerned that frequent exposure to an antibiotic could increase an individual's risk of becoming infected with a resistant strain of bacteria. If use of anti-bacterial chalk became widespread in gyms, then I would be further concerned about the cumulative exposure to the anti-bacterial agent by users and employees of the gym. Contrary to healeyje, widespread adoption of anti-bacterial chalk in gyms would be expected to increase, not decrease, the probability of an MRSA outbreak from exposure at the gym. Finally, the question: Regarding your proposed product, should this be a concern, and if not, why not?

2. Would using your product be expected to be more effective than washing your hands after climbing, and if so, why?

Jay

Anti-bacterial soaps and antibiotics are completely unrelated. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has increased resistance to antibiotics, and incorrect use of anti-microbial soaps could result in resistance to those chemicals too, but not to antibiotics.

There are many other good reasons to avoid anti-microbial soaps, but that is not one.

TE

Show me any commonly used ingredient in antimicrobial soaps that has either a related mode of action or chemical similarity to a clinical antibiotic and I'll cede your point.

The general public uses antibiotic, antiseptic, sanitizer, antimicrobial and disinfectant interchangeably, these are not the same.

TE

Your point about antibiotic vs antiseptic/sanitizer/antimicrobial/disinfectant is well made.

I'm trying to think of a substance which is a sanitizer, but not a disinfectant. What disinfectant is not also antimicrobial?

Antibiotics, of course, are in a seperate class.

The original point, relating to the use of antiseptic chalk, is not really related to your point. Do you want to breathe in airborne antiseptics? Do you think the OP's product idea is a good one?

Thanks for clarifying.

I work in PT, but my first degree was molecular biology. I haven't thought about this stuff in a while, especially the R-plasmid stuff Miles was talking about.

The OP was talking about antiseptic/antibacterials. Household bleach is both of these, and I would not want to breathe that, especially when attached to airborne particulate magnesium carbonate.

Alcohol is one of the most commonly used antiseptics....

1. I do care about infection/safety while rock climbing. For this reason I wash my hands after leaving the gym. Gyms are gross and associated with MRSA infection.

Source please!

Moonbutt, two questions:

1. The widespread use of anti-bacterial agents is thought to be a contributor to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial. Furthermore, I would be concerned that frequent exposure to an antibiotic could increase an individual's risk of becoming infected with a resistant strain of bacteria. If use of anti-bacterial chalk became widespread in gyms, then I would be further concerned about the cumulative exposure to the anti-bacterial agent by users and employees of the gym. Contrary to healeyje, widespread adoption of anti-bacterial chalk in gyms would be expected to increase, not decrease, the probability of an MRSA outbreak from exposure at the gym. Finally, the question: Regarding your proposed product, should this be a concern, and if not, why not?

2. Would using your product be expected to be more effective than washing your hands after climbing, and if so, why?

Jay

Hi Jt512

Thanks for your insight and really intelligent questions..

1. It is quite a debatable topic whether anti-bacterial drugs encourage the mutations in bacteria to make them resistant as it happened with mosquitoes probably.
But this is still an open issue whether all chemical contribute to mutations. The answer is no. My chemical has a proven record of being used in various health sectors without an trace of promoting mutations or maybe no study have been done to test that. I can say with confidence that the chances of bacteria developing resistant to this drug are very bleek.

b. You are talking same as washing your penis after having unsafe sex and saying I am safe. pun intended:)
It is always better to prevent the contact with the bacteria to increase effectiveness

1. It is quite a debatable topic whether anti-bacterial drugs encourage the mutations in bacteria to make them resistant as it happened with mosquitoes probably.

Now my question is , how many of you will be interested in buying this chalk?

Hello everyone,

Thanks a lot for valuable feedback and criticism. I believe people are afraid of chemicals. Therefore I was working on this past few weeks to find something herbal to replace the chemical.
Luckily with the help of someone from India, I am able to develop an dry extract of natural occuring antibacterial herbs.

Now this Chalk (mix of Magnesium carbonate and antibacterial herbs) is very safe, you can even eat it safely.
Disclaimer: In lab tests. this is slightly less effective than previous chemical based chalk because of its dry nature. But it is 100%safe.

Now my question is , how many of you will be interested in buying this chalk?

Thanks,

Sure you use purell outside...

I believe people are afraid of chemicals. Therefore I was working on this past few weeks to find something herbal to replace the chemical.