Using a public toilet? Mask up!
Think you don’t need to worry about COVID-19 while using a public toilet?
A group of researchers from Yangzhou University in China recently reported that flushing public toilets can release clouds of virus-laden aerosols for you to potentially inhale.
If that’s not cringeworthy enough, after running additional computer simulations, they’ve concluded that flushing urinals does likewise.
The researchers’ work clearly shows public restrooms can be dangerous places for potentially becoming infected from a virus, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other work has shown that both faeces- and urine-based virus transmission is possible.
Flushing a urinal, much like flushing a toilet, involves an interaction between gas and liquid interfaces. The result of the flushing causes a large spread of aerosol particles to be released from the urinal, which the researchers simulated and tracked.
When men use urinals within a public toilet, these tiny particles can reach their thigh within 5.5 seconds when compared to the toilet flush, which takes 35 seconds to reach slightly higher.
This work underscores how important it is to wear a mask within public places but especially toilets.
Read the study.
Have you stopped using public toilets during the pandemic? Do you wear a mask if you are using a public toilet?
PLEASE can we remember what masks do? They significantly reduce the GENERATION of aerosols but offer little protection to stop the virus being inhaled. Wearing a mask protects others including the selfish who claim to be entitled!