Study: Hand dryers suck in fecal bacteria and blow it all over your hands

[Roosh]

This study is probably sponsored by the paper industry, but it does sound plausible:

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. Researchers examined plates exposed to just 30 seconds of a hand dryer compared to those left in, you know, just plain feces-filled air.

The findings: Air-blasted plates carried 18-60 colonies of bacteria on average, whereas two minutes' exposure to the mere bathroom air left fewer than one colony on average. What's more, the inside of the dryer nozzles themselves had "minimal bacterial levels." The results were published recently in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

For the study, a Connecticut-based team looked at 36 bathrooms at facility of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Newsweek notes, where one lab produces large amounts of spores of PS533, a specific but harmless strain of bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Colonies of that strain made up about 2-5% of the bacteria found on the air-blasted plates, regardless of how far the specific bathroom was from the lab where such spores were made.

"These results indicate that many kinds of bacteria, including potential pathogens and spores, can be deposited on hands exposed to bathroom hand dryers, and that spores could be dispersed throughout buildings and deposited on hands by hand dryers," the authors said.

What's unclear, they admit, is just why the air-blasted plates showed so many more spores. Dryers could act as "reservoir" for bacteria, they suggested, or perhaps their intense blowing simply provides more exposure to the already contaminated air. And while evidence shows dryers can cover hands in bacteria, they said, it's not certain whether they deposit bacterial spores.

Regardless, as Newsweek reported, study author Peter Setlow perfers paper towels, which are now stocked at all 36 bathrooms used in the study.

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

What this study doesn't address is if the bacteria is disease causing. If you can't get sick from it then it's harmless like most bacteria that call your body home.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...em-all-over-your-hands-study-finds/511723002/

 

[TigerMandingo]

I never use hand dryers. If a bathroom doesn't have paper towels then I just walk out with wet hands. I don't understand what was so wrong with paper towels that we had to put those ineffective things in anyway. They never get your hands completely dry either.

 

[Johnnyvee]

This study is probably sponsored by the paper industry, but it does sound plausible:

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. Researchers examined plates exposed to just 30 seconds of a hand dryer compared to those left in, you know, just plain feces-filled air.

The findings: Air-blasted plates carried 18-60 colonies of bacteria on average, whereas two minutes' exposure to the mere bathroom air left fewer than one colony on average. What's more, the inside of the dryer nozzles themselves had "minimal bacterial levels." The results were published recently in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

For the study, a Connecticut-based team looked at 36 bathrooms at facility of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Newsweek notes, where one lab produces large amounts of spores of PS533, a specific but harmless strain of bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Colonies of that strain made up about 2-5% of the bacteria found on the air-blasted plates, regardless of how far the specific bathroom was from the lab where such spores were made.

"These results indicate that many kinds of bacteria, including potential pathogens and spores, can be deposited on hands exposed to bathroom hand dryers, and that spores could be dispersed throughout buildings and deposited on hands by hand dryers," the authors said.

What's unclear, they admit, is just why the air-blasted plates showed so many more spores. Dryers could act as "reservoir" for bacteria, they suggested, or perhaps their intense blowing simply provides more exposure to the already contaminated air. And while evidence shows dryers can cover hands in bacteria, they said, it's not certain whether they deposit bacterial spores.

Regardless, as Newsweek reported, study author Peter Setlow perfers paper towels, which are now stocked at all 36 bathrooms used in the study.

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

What this study doesn't address is if the bacteria is disease causing. If you can't get sick from it then it's harmless like most bacteria that call your body home.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...em-all-over-your-hands-study-finds/511723002/

Whether bacteria or viruses cause disease has more to do with an individual`s immune function, rather than the type of pathogen. In general this is true at least, but of course with some exceptions. Also pathogenic load factors into it. (I.e. the number of pathogens of a particular sort, and how many different types and strands you have in your body in total.)

So whether you get sick or not is a question of how well your immune system functions, which again is dependent on things like diet and lifestyle factors, and how many pathogens you are exposed too from all sources. The fewer the better in other words. This is why it`s not a good idea to take as many vaccines as possible, but stick to the basic one`s. The more pathogens you carry the faster your immune system will age via cell differentiation and telomere shortening. Some pathogens are much more immune dominant than other`s though, independent of whether they actually cause clinical disease.

 

[KeepMovingForward]

It's ok. Everyone knows you dry your hands with paper towels when no one's looking, then pretend to be drying your hands when in reality, you're enjoying the warm air.

Am I the only one that does this? Lift that shirt collar up in winter time, feels really nice to get a warm breeze running over your body!

 

[Kona]

I had to buy hand dryers for work.

First off, try to purchase some in your city. It's like buying a Kirby vacuum, or some Amway shit. The local rep will upsell and try to get you into service plans and warranties and nonsense.

Second, they all badmouth the Dyson Airblade, which costs roughly $800. They will tell you those things are the worst virus spreaders in the business. I googled it, and there's fact to back that up.

We got ones called xcelerator which were about $400 each. The bacteria/virus argument with those guys was that the shit blows straight down versus right into your face like the Dyson, or back onto your body like the Toto dryers (which were really expensive) did.

Thats a summary of my hand dryer knowledge.

Aloha!

 

[Meadowlark]

The news guy on the radio show I listen to loves to do stories like this about bathrooms, so much that the hosts have dubbed them "FM" stories (fecal matter). There was a recent story about fecal matter making it's way to your toothbrush as well, hinting that you're brushing your mouth with turd. I suspect the risk is overblown quite a bit.

Besides if you want to avoid a large chunk of this, only wash your hands in a public restroom if you take a shit. I usually avoid taking a dump in public restrooms anyway. If all you touch is your wang and zipper there's a pretty low risk.

 

[RIslander]

That's why every toilet should have a toilet seat bidet. Then there's no hand poop interaction. I schedule my dumps to ensure I'm at home and can use it.

 

[debeguiled]

I had to buy hand dryers for work.

First off, try to purchase some in your city. It's like buying a Kirby vacuum, or some Amway shit. The local rep will upsell and try to get you into service plans and warranties and nonsense.

Second, they all badmouth the Dyson Airblade, which costs roughly $800. They will tell you those things are the worst virus spreaders in the business. I googled it, and there's fact to back that up.

We got ones called xcelerator which were about $400 each. The bacteria/virus argument with those guys was that the shit blows straight down versus right into your face like the Dyson, or back onto your body like the Toto dryers (which were really expensive) did.

Thats a summary of my hand dryer knowledge.

Aloha!

Kona getting shit tested by his own appliance.

 

[Thot Leader]

This study is probably sponsored by the paper industry, but it does sound plausible:

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. Researchers examined plates exposed to just 30 seconds of a hand dryer compared to those left in, you know, just plain feces-filled air.

The findings: Air-blasted plates carried 18-60 colonies of bacteria on average, whereas two minutes' exposure to the mere bathroom air left fewer than one colony on average. What's more, the inside of the dryer nozzles themselves had "minimal bacterial levels." The results were published recently in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

For the study, a Connecticut-based team looked at 36 bathrooms at facility of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Newsweek notes, where one lab produces large amounts of spores of PS533, a specific but harmless strain of bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Colonies of that strain made up about 2-5% of the bacteria found on the air-blasted plates, regardless of how far the specific bathroom was from the lab where such spores were made.

"These results indicate that many kinds of bacteria, including potential pathogens and spores, can be deposited on hands exposed to bathroom hand dryers, and that spores could be dispersed throughout buildings and deposited on hands by hand dryers," the authors said.

What's unclear, they admit, is just why the air-blasted plates showed so many more spores. Dryers could act as "reservoir" for bacteria, they suggested, or perhaps their intense blowing simply provides more exposure to the already contaminated air. And while evidence shows dryers can cover hands in bacteria, they said, it's not certain whether they deposit bacterial spores.

Regardless, as Newsweek reported, study author Peter Setlow perfers paper towels, which are now stocked at all 36 bathrooms used in the study.

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

What this study doesn't address is if the bacteria is disease causing. If you can't get sick from it then it's harmless like most bacteria that call your body home.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...em-all-over-your-hands-study-finds/511723002/

Whether bacteria or viruses cause disease has more to do with an individual`s immune function, rather than the type of pathogen. In general this is true at least, but of course with some exceptions. Also pathogenic load factors into it. (I.e. the number of pathogens of a particular sort, and how many different types and strands you have in your body in total.)

So whether you get sick or not is a question of how well your immune system functions, which again is dependent on things like diet and lifestyle factors, and how many pathogens you are exposed too from all sources. The fewer the better in other words. This is why it`s not a good idea to take as many vaccines as possible, but stick to the basic one`s. The more pathogens you carry the faster your immune system will age via cell differentiation and telomere shortening. Some pathogens are much more immune dominant than other`s though, independent of whether they actually cause clinical disease.

This is true. Herpes, Lyme disease, even HIV don't seem to be a problem for some of the people exposed to them.

 

[Repo]

Air dryer user master race here.

The more bacteria we get exposed to the better, builds the immune system.

Right now I have so many diseases trying to get in at the same time none of them are getting in. See below visual demonstration:

 

[ed pluribus unum]

The implication is that all this particulate FM is just free-floating throughout the entire bathroom atmosphere which means that, unless you hold your breath from the second you walk in til the second you walk out, you're inhaling that shit (literally). I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

If I have no choice, I'll use the air dryer. Hold your hands under it for about 8 seconds longer than most people have the patience for (i.e. about 5 seconds) and you get dry hands. Try to avoid direct contact wiht the door handle on the way out, and carry on with life.

 

[debeguiled]

Air dryer user master race here.

The more bacteria we get exposed to the better, builds the immune system.

Right now I have so many diseases trying to get in at the same time none of them are getting in. See below visual demonstration:

So are you arguing that inhaling shit is a kind of homeopathy only better?

 

[Repo]

Air dryer user master race here.

The more bacteria we get exposed to the better, builds the immune system.

Right now I have so many diseases trying to get in at the same time none of them are getting in. See below visual demonstration:

So are you arguing that inhaling shit is a kind of homeopathy only better?

Correct. I no longer have to worry about E Coli outbreaks when shopping for lettuce at the grocery store, completely immune!

Additional bonus: I can now eat da booty worry free

 

[nomadbrah]

I never use hand dryers. If a bathroom doesn't have paper towels then I just walk out with wet hands. I don't understand what was so wrong with paper towels that we had to put those ineffective things in anyway. They never get your hands completely dry either.

Paper towels?

Cotton single use towels and a shoulder massage or I'm not going.

 

[Ski pro]

The news guy on the radio show I listen to loves to do stories like this about bathrooms, so much that the hosts have dubbed them "FM" stories (fecal matter). There was a recent story about fecal matter making it's way to your toothbrush as well, hinting that you're brushing your mouth with turd. I suspect the risk is overblown quite a bit.

Besides if you want to avoid a large chunk of this, only wash your hands in a public restroom if you take a shit. I usually avoid taking a dump in public restrooms anyway. If all you touch is your wang and zipper there's a pretty low risk.

I have a mate who has a habit of taking public restroom shits . It’s like his thing.

Weird.

 

[Foolsgo1d]

Do any of you guys touch surfaces like door handles and glass on public doors? Do you go to a gym or sit on public transport?

I've seen guys in my gym walk out of the stalls after taking a dump and not wash their hands so this news isn't anything to be worried about. Just keep the hands away from the face! And use anti-bac on your stuff after.

 

[Marmite]

You're most likely exposed to more shit on your money, and anything public that you touch, rather than the odd time you use a hand dryer in a public toilet.

How many people do you think actually wash their hands after using the toilet?

 

[debeguiled]

I wonder what happens if you use the mirror right after an ugly person.

Also what about people who wash their hands like a surgeon, open the door with the used paper towel, and then go home and let their dog lick them on the mouth?

 

[Repo]

Once a guy took a shit so explosive he infected 300 people with SARS. Bet none of these people used airdryers! China of course. Suits probably has an insane immune system by now, he couldn't get AIDS if he tried.

"The large community outbreak in the Amoy Gardens housing complex affected more than 300 residents of this private housing estate. The index patient infected with the SARS virus visited unit 7 on a middle floor of building E on March 14 and again on March 19 and used the toilet; the patient had diarrhea. Subsequent cases of SARS (categorized according to apartment unit) were located in clusters in four buildings and at certain floor levels.6 Previously available reports have not provided a satisfactory explanation of the features of the outbreak in the Amoy Gardens housing complex.7-9"

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa032867

 

[rainy]

I find the worst not to be hand dryers but those paper towel substitutes where it's akin to a rag circulated thru a machine in places like German airports.

So every schmuck who just used the bathroom dries his hands on that same roll.