It all started out with a harmless enough seeming sentence. "Hey did you know that your toilet sprays 20 feet when you flush it so you shouldn't keep your toothbrush by it?" Initially I brushed this off as the stuff urban legends are made of. My bathroom isn't even 20 feet and my toothbrush tastes fine so who cares? Once I was able to rationalize myself out of a germaphobe panic, my curiosity peaked. So I did the research. And I will now present my startling findings to you.
There's actually a name for this toilet spraying thing. It's called the aerosol effect of toilets and was first mentioned by University of Arizona environmental microbiologist Charles Gerba when he published a scientific article in 1975 describing bacterial and viral aerosols due to toilet flushing. "Droplets are going all over the place—it's like the Fourth of July," said Gerba. Gerba's research has shown that water droplets travel in an invisible cloud six to eight feet up and out every time you flush your toilet. Given the size of most bathrooms, that pretty much means your entire bathroom is regularly sprayed with toilet water. That means your towels, toothbrush, toilet paper, and reading material are all pretty well contaminated.
Not only is this bacterial mist flying around eight feet, it is also capable of remaining in the air for two hours after each flush, giving it maximal time to float and spread. That means not only is your bathroom contaminated, but it's contaminating you. Every time you flush you are covering yourself with and inhaling this toilet-generated bacterial mist. One researcher called this the F3 force: fecal fountain factor. The potential for bacteria is further compounded by the room temperature of the water. To break it down for you: Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, E. coli and Shigella bacteria, hepatitis A virus and the common cold virus are all common inhabitants of public bathrooms. The best way to keep yourself healthy? Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water for 20-30 seconds (that's roughly three times through Row, Row, Row Your Boat) every time you use the bathroom.
Surprisingly, toilet seats are the least contaminated place in the bathroom. The place with the highest concentration will probably surprise you. I'll give you a hint. It's not the toilet. You might want to brace yourself for this. The place with the highest microbial concentration is.....the sink. Gerba attributes this to infrequent and less attentive cleaning. And your toothbrush? It's a hot spot for fecal bacteria and germs spewed into the air by the aerosol effect.
What does that mean for you? Clean your bathroom more often and more thoroughly. Every area should be cleaned just as well as you clean your toilet, including the ceiling. Also, since your sink is the most contaminated area, you should thoroughly wash your hands after any sink-related activity like washing your face and brushing your teeth. And remember to wash your hands after using your blow-dryer. Like hot-air hand dryers, it can increase the bacterial count on your hands by as much as 162%. If you're still not convinced that bacteria exist in any significant quantities on your hands, consider that the kitchen sink actually harbors the most fecal matter in the average home, carried there by unwashed hands after using the bathroom. Keep your toothbrush out of the line of fire in a medicine cabinet or buy a cover for it. Finally, the simplest solution of all, close the toilet lid before you flush. This greatly reduces the effects of the aerosol effect.
If you're still not convinced, try your own experiment. Flush your toilet. Add 1 tablespoon of food coloring. Lift the toilet seat and stretch plastic wrap across the toilet bowl. Flush and watch the droplets fly up. If the plastic wrap wasn't there, all that would now be in the air. Remove the plastic wrap and wash your hands.
Note: When I performed this experiment at home, I was under-whelmed with the amount of toilet spray. My conclusion? This is probably not a concern for your average healthy adult. Those who are immunocompromised (children, the elderly, etc.) may want to take this into consideration. Personally, I'm trying to close the lid, because hey why not?
2 comments:
This was such a great posting - I actually think about bacteria transit and am very particular about flushing the toilette, and cleaning the sink and walls throughly. I also make sure all cleaning devices are disposable - nothing hanging around after use ;^)
Genial fill someone in on and this enter helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you as your information.
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