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These geeks carry sanitizer

These geeks carry sanitizer

Consumer Electronics Show Previews Latest Products

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The Consumer Electronics Show is packed with gadget freaks, but also with hypochondriacs.
At the Consumer Electronics Show, some go to great lengths to avoid getting sick.

By Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 10, 2008

LAS VEGAS -- The Consumer Electronics Show is packed with gadget freaks, but also with hypochondriacs.

Take 140,000 sleep-deprived, overworked people, cram them into planes, buses and meeting rooms, and the trade show becomes a 24-hour party for germs.

CES attendees go to great lengths to avoid getting sick.

At an event Saturday, German clock radio maker Sonoro Audio gave away white gloves, which were far more popular than its press kits.

One marketing executive, who asked that her name not be used, says she lines the inside of her nose with the antibiotic cream Neosporin before she boards the plane to Las Vegas.

Jay Stevens, who builds convention booths and has survived five CES shows, has germ avoidance down to a science.

The 35-year-old from Salt Lake City gradually pumps his body with vitamin C leading up to the show, reaching a daily peak of 2,000 milligrams. Before boarding the plane, he sips Airborne, an herbal product said to boost the immune system.

Once here, Stevens obsessively washes his hands and tries to avoid touching escalator handrails, doorknobs, keyboards, mice and controllers. But that's not always practical, especially at a trade show for gadgets. So every hour or so, he coats his hands with hand sanitizer, which he carries in a front pocket.

"People touch an escalator, pick up the germs," Stevens said. "The cellphone rings and they bring that to their face. That's all it takes -- you're done!"

This being CES, Stevens' solution is a high-tech one -- a Bluetooth wireless headset, so that the germs don't get a chance.