Community Chat

[MorningLover]

       

Hand dryers suck in fecal bacteria and blow it all over your hands, study finds.... 

We know fecal bacteria shoots into the air when a lidless toilet flushes — a phenomenon known, grossly, as a "toilet plume". But in bathrooms where such plumes gush regularly, where does all that fecal bacteria go? 

Into a hand dryer and onto your clean hands, perhaps. That's what a new study suggests. 

Dryers could act as "reservoir" for bacteria, or perhaps their intense blowing simply provides more exposure to the already contaminated air. And while evidence shows dryers can cover hands in bacteria, it's not certain whether they deposit bacterial spores. 

"Bacteria in bathrooms will come from feces, which can be aerosolized a bit when toilets, especially lidless toilets, are flushed." ......

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/04/12/hand-dryers-suck-bathroom-bacteria-and-blo...

[suzyQ3]

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@Bridgegal wrote:

Update:   I thought it would be obvious but I'm talking about healthy people here not anyone who is ill.   My apologies for upsetting anyone who didn't understand that.

I don't know how many times it has to be said but this germaphobia may kill you.   Exposure to germs trains your immune system and causes it to build defenses in response to that exposure.  We've been told that for ages and yet the dangerous fear of a germ still abounds. 

You have got to keep your immune system strong.    And you do that by exposure.   This hand sanitizing, glove wearing, washing and scrubbing, using towels to open doors etc is going to kill you.   

This is especially true for kids from birth to elementary school ages.   That's a critical time for training their immune system and yet parents live in a germ paranoia world and impart that on their kids.   No wonder there are so many kids with allergies and 'syndromes' etc.   I knew one kid in my elementary school with an allergy in the 1950's.   

I don't know what it will take to get this through to people.  Lighten up and live longer and healthier.

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@Bridgegal, it's very thoughtful of you to have edited your post, but frankly, I also thought that it was obvious that both you and I were speaking generally and not about those with compromised immune systems.

[Bridgegal]

@suzyQ3

Thank you for saying that.   I felt really bad to have hurt/offended anyone who isn't well.  That's all I'll say about it.  

[sunshine45]

@suzyQ3

@Bridgegal

i think most people knew who you were referring to in general and  that you were NOT including those with serious illnesses and medical conditions. exactly why i hearted your posts.