In 2014 , a squad of researchers from the University of Leeds dropped a disturbing accuracy bomb on the world by announcing that the no - mite jet - air dryers in public restrooms areanything but sanitary . They found that these increasingly popular devices blow bacterium from people ’s poorly washed hands ( most peopledon’t laundry their workforce correctly ) into the air and onto nearby surfaces in disturbing quantities , increasing the likelihood that you ’ll walk out of the can covered in other masses ’s germs .
In research laboratory - base experimentsrecreating a public washroom , jet - tune dryers introduced 27 times more bacterium into the air than good - old - fashioned newspaper towels , and these microbes circulated for 15 transactions later .
Now , the authors are back with even more evidence against helping hand dryer , this fourth dimension from real - macrocosm experiments .
As reported in theJournal of Hospital Infection , Professor Mark Wilcox and his colleagues place out to examine how manus dry methods touch bacterial spread in hospital bathrooms – an of import issue because many serious and antibiotic - resistant infections are cognize to pass around in clinical options .
The investigation was channel in hospitals in three cities – Leeds , Paris , and Udine , Italy – over a 12 - workweek period . For each location , two restrooms used by patients , stave , and visitor were selected , and each was limit up to offer only a reverse lightning dryer or newspaper publisher towel . sample of the air and swabs of restroom surface were taken every day for four workweek , then , after a two - week pause in collections , each restroom switched to declare oneself the substitute drying method . This process was then take over a third time .
Cultures from these sampling revealed that the full amount of bacterium in the air and on control surface was consistently much gamy in all public lavatory when jet dryers were being used . The most dramatic differences were run across between the airfoil of the green dryer itself and the Earth’s surface of the theme towel dispenser : In Udine , the dryer was covered in 100 times more bacteria , in Paris it was 33 - fold higher , and in Leeds it was 22 - folding .
In the UK restrooms , the infamous methicillin - resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA ) bacterium was found three time more frequently during jet dryer utilization periods than paper towel periods . Bacterial species insubordinate to both penicillin and cephalosporins ( know as ESBL - make being ) and specie of pathogenic enterococci – a difficult - to - treat group – were found in importantly high-pitched relative frequency and bet during these periods as well .
In the Parisian and Italian hospital , few infective or drug - immune bacteria were encountered during either hand drying set - up .
“ therefore , we believe that galvanising paw dryer are not suited to clinical configurations , and , as such , exist ( for instance NHS ) infection control building counseling needs to be amended and strengthened , ” Wilcox ’s team drop a line , add together that there is niggling justification for their use in any public mise en scene have the risks they face .
Based on the early research , French wellness officials recently update their rule of thumb to discourage use of hand dryers in clinical hospital ward . UK hospital presently discourage their use in such areas as well , but the reasoning is found on haphazardness concerns . There are no provisions against using them in public - facing reception areas in either land , and no restrictions at all in the US .
“ The problem starts because some people do not dampen their hands decently , ” Wilcoxexplained . “ In issue , the dryer make an aerosol that contaminate the toilet elbow room , including the dryer itself and potentially the sinks , floor and other surface , count on the dryer design and where it is sit .
“ However , newspaper towel take up the water and microbes left on the hands and if they are dispose of decently , there is less likely for cross - contamination . ”
