Avoid Being a Bacteria Bystander

The next time you enter a public restroom, consider carefully whether to use paper towels or hand dryers after washing your hands. Mark Wilcox, from the University of Leeds (United Kingdom), and colleagues contaminated the hands of study subjects with Lactobacillus, to mimic hands that have been poorly washed.  The investigation comprised 120 air-sampling tests (60 tests and 60 controls), divided into close and 1 m proximity from the drying process.   The researchers subsequently detected the bacteria n the air samples around the hand dryers and also at distances of one and two meters away. Observing that: “Jet air and warm air dryers result in increased bacterial aerosolization when drying hands,” the study authors warn that: “they may facilitate microbial cross-contamination via airborne dissemination to the environment or bathroom visitors.”