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Cotton swab

Index Cotton swab

Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English) consist of one or two small wad(s) of cotton wrapped around one or both end(s) of a short rod made of wood, rolled paper or plastic. They are commonly used in a variety of applications including first aid, cosmetics application, cleaning, and arts and crafts. The tool was invented in the 1920s by Polish-American Leo Gerstenzang after he watched his wife attach wads of cotton to toothpicks. His product, named "Baby Gays", went on to become the most widely sold brand name: Q-tips, meaning "quality tips". The term "Q-tips" is often used as a genericized trademark for cotton swabs in the US and Canada. The Q-tips brand is owned by Unilever and had over $200 million in US sales in 2014. Although doctors have said for years that it is not safe to use cotton swabs for ear cleaning, it remains the most common use. [1]

30 relations: Agar plate, American Academy of Family Physicians, American English, Autoclave, British English, Cosmetics, Cotton, Cotton pad, Ear canal, Ear pick, Earwax, Extrusion, First aid, Generic trademark, Growth medium, Leo Gerstenzang, Lubrication, Marine pollution, Microbiology, Optical disc drive, Otitis externa, Perforated eardrum, Plastic, Plastic model, Povidone-iodine, Scottish Government, Surface energy, Toothpick, Toronto Star, Unilever.

Agar plate

An agar plate is a Petri dish that contains a solid growth medium, typically agar plus nutrients, used to culture small organisms such as microorganisms.

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American Academy of Family Physicians

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) was founded in 1947 to promote the science and art of family medicine.

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American English

American English (AmE, AE, AmEng, USEng, en-US), sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States.

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Autoclave

An autoclave is a pressure chamber used to carry out industrial processes requiring elevated temperature and pressure different from ambient air pressure.

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British English

British English is the standard dialect of English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom.

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Cosmetics

Cosmetics are substances or products used to enhance or alter the appearance of the face or fragrance and texture of the body.

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Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae.

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Cotton pad

Cotton pads are pads made of cotton which are used for medical or cosmetic purposes.

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Ear canal

The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus, EAM; meatus acusticus externus) is a tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear.

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Ear pick

Ear picks, also called ear scoops, or ear spoons, or earpicks, are a type of curette used to clean the ear canal of earwax (cerumen).

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Earwax

Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, is a gray, orange, or yellowish waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and other mammals.

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Extrusion

Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile.

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First aid

First aid is the assistance given to any person suffering a sudden illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery.

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Generic trademark

A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, due to its popularity or significance, has become the generic name for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, usually against the intentions of the trademark's holder.

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Growth medium

A growth medium or culture medium is a solid, liquid or semi-solid designed to support the growth of microorganisms or cells, or small plants like the moss Physcomitrella patens.

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Leo Gerstenzang

Leo Gerstenzang (June 3, 1892 – 1 October, 1973) was a Polish born American who in 1923 invented the cotton swab or Q-Tips.

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Lubrication

Lubrication is the process or technique of using a lubricant to reduce friction and/or wear in a contact between two surfaces.

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Marine pollution

Marine pollution occurs when harmful, or potentially harmful, effects result from the entry into the ocean of chemicals, particles, industrial, agricultural, and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms.

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Microbiology

Microbiology (from Greek μῑκρος, mīkros, "small"; βίος, bios, "life"; and -λογία, -logia) is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells).

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Optical disc drive

In computing, an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disc drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs.

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Otitis externa

Otitis externa, also called swimmer's ear, is inflammation of the ear canal.

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Perforated eardrum

A perforated eardrum or punctured eardrum is a rupture or perforation (hole) of the eardrum which can occur as a result of otitis media (ear infection), trauma (e.g. by trying to clean the ear with sharp instruments), explosion, loud noise or surgery (accidental creation of a rupture).

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Plastic

Plastic is material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable and so can be molded into solid objects.

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Plastic model

A 4-year-old boy starts painting an assembled plastic model of the South Goodwin Lightship A plastic model is a plastic scale model manufactured as a kit, primarily assembled by hobbyists, and intended for static display.

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Povidone-iodine

Povidone-iodine (PVP-I), also known as iodopovidone, is an antiseptic used for skin disinfection before and after surgery.

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Scottish Government

The Scottish Government (Riaghaltas na h-Alba; Scots Govrenment) is the executive of the devolved Scottish Parliament.

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Surface energy

Surface Free energy, or interfacial free energy, quantifies the disruption of intermolecular bonds that occur when a surface is created.

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Toothpick

A toothpick is a small stick of wood, plastic, bamboo, metal, bone or other substance used to remove detritus from the teeth, usually after a meal.

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Toronto Star

The Toronto Star is a Canadian broadsheet daily newspaper.

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Unilever

Unilever () is a British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company co-headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

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Baby Gays, Cotton bud, Cotton buds, Cotton swabs, Cotton tips, Cotton wool bud, Cue tip, Ear cleaner, Mouth swab, Papersticks, Q Tip, Q tips, Q-Tip, Q-Tips, Q-tip, Q-tips, Qtip, Queue tip, Surgical swab.

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_swab

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