Think You’re Risk-free In The Bathroom?
Oh my goodness! Flushing the toilet is just your everyday bathroom habit, but do you know that it discharges harmful microorganisms into the air?
In fact, in 1975, an experiment was performed based on what is presently called the ‘aerosol effect’ An environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona, by the name of Charles Gerba, circulated a scientific article about the ‘aerosol effect’ in toilets. ‘It’s like Baghdad at night during a US assault’ is how Gerba described the microbes. ‘It scatters like fireworks during the Fourth of July’, he continued. Gerba conducted tests by placing gauze pads all around the restroom and then measured the viral and bacterial levels after flushing. In addition, he also noted that the microbes were still present inside the bathroom after two hours have gone by.
The contamination has spread all over the bathroom, from bottom to top and on the sides, even your exposed toothbrush can’t be protected.
As it goes, our mothers were telling the truth! Here in the South, we little ladies were educated by our mothers that under no circumstances are we going to use our hands in flushing the toilet, nor sit on the toilet seat. I don’t know about the others. If I can properly recollect, we were instructed to use our foot instead. Now that was a very horrible proposal judging from the thought of it, you’ll still get contaminated not by the toilet but from the floor as well, since the floor is where microbial matters disperse after the flush. Shockingly, on the contrary, toilet seats were the least exposed to microorganisms except for the portion below it. The surface above is more dry in nature while the area underneath is damp, where bacteria usually proliferates.
In the studies done on the subject of the aerosol effect, it was determined that, and a bit of a surprise, the bathroom sink was the most contaminated area in the restroom partly because of its moist environment where bacteria freely breeds after their airborne journey from the toilet bowl, partly due to the fact that toilet bowls receive more cleaning attention. My husband thinks of me as a bacteria phobic – but I believe he’ll feel the same way when he reads this article! After researching on the matter, I actually thought of giving in to reclusion, wrapping myself in a protective gear, and swore never to enter the public bathroom again. Then again, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen in the real world. We can’t control how public restrooms are cleaned, but we can take precautions in our own homes. Still, all joking aside, studies did confirm that these disease-causing microorganisms – strep, staph, Hepa A, E Coli and shingella bacteria, can be found in all restrooms, outside in the public and inside your house.
To safeguard your health, there are defensive measures you can do whenever you use the bathroom, such as putting the lid down before flushing, then cleansing your hands, all of it from the back, in between the fingers and under the fingernails, with antibacterial soap for thirty seconds. You may also want to put an air purifier in the bathroom and for goodness sake, dispose your old toothbrush and get yourself a new one. Keep it covered like put it in a cabinet, not leave it exposed on the sink’s counter. And if ever you’re in a public restroom, studies suggested to turn the faucets off and open the door to prevent recontamination. Definitely clean your bathroom regularly using disinfectants.
Undertaking these simple safety measures can contribute to the lessening of viral and bacterial contaminations therefore making it safer and healthier for you and your family.
If you wish to know that your bathrooms are safe from any of undesirable things, ensure that bathroom safety with bathroom safety products at Safe Home Products.
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