myrilmae007:

BEIJING (AFP) - Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.

‘These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ……. threatening the health of local people,’ it said.. Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.

‘People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,’ the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying. A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just Rs.5, much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.

A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal. China ‘s manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.

In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems.

Check your kids hair bands and make sure they do not put them in their mouth while trying to plait or tie their hair .

So it only took me a couple seconds of fact-checking to find out that this article is from 2007 and that the condoms used in these hair bands were not used, but rather recycled from defective condoms.  Like, ones that manufacturers rejected.

Remember, people, everything on the internet is true.  All of it.  Even bonsai kittens.  Especially bonsai kittens.  </sarcasm>

This article also perpetuates really harmful myths about HIV transmission.  Even if the elastic in these hair bands were made of used condoms (gross) from someone who was HIV positive, you could not, I repeat, you COULD NOT, get HIV from putting them in your mouth while you pull your hair into a ponytail.  That’s not how HIV works.

You can’t get AIDS from being in the same room as someone with AIDS.  You can’t get AIDS from a mosquito.  You can’t get AIDS from sharing drinks with someone with AIDS, hugging someone with AIDS, or even kissing someone with AIDS.  You can’t get AIDS from sitting on a toilet seat right after someone with AIDS. 

HIV is spread by exchanging fluids with an infected person.  The fluids that carry HIV are blood, semen, pre-cum, vaginal fluid, and breast milk.  You would have to drink, like, 100 gallons of saliva to even come close to contracting HIV and, uh, that’s disgusting.