
Hand dryers spray human waste particles all over you, study finds - pmoriarty
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/hand-dryers-poo-particles-human-waste-spread-you-bathroom-study-america-a8301141.html
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byteCoder
This was demonstrated on "Mythbusters" in 2013:

"Hot-air hand dryers are less sanitary than paper towels in public restrooms.

CONFIRMED

In a preliminary test, Adam and Jamie found that washing their hands properly
with soap did not leave behind enough bacteria for them to count, so in the
remaining tests, participants only used water to wash their hands.

Sixteen volunteers were enlisted to have their hands sprayed with a harmless
strain of E. coli bacteria. The volunteers’ hands were then swabbed for a
sample, then washed using water but no soap, then swabbed again, then dried
using paper towels, then swabbed a third time. Next, the entire process was
repeated with the same volunteers, but using hand dryers instead of paper
towels. On average, the paper towels removed 71% of the bacteria on the
volunteers’ hands, while the hand dryers only removed 23%, confirming that the
myth is true for individuals.

Adam and Jamie also wanted to find out how clean the drying area of the
restroom stayed with each drying method. Before the previous experiment began,
the mock restrooms were thoroughly cleaned. After the experiment, swabs from
the paper towel area yielded 3 bacteria colonies while swabs from the hand
dryer area yielded 41 colonies, confirming that the myth is also true in
regards to the cleanliness of the restroom."

[https://mythresults.com/down-dirty-earthquake-
survival](https://mythresults.com/down-dirty-earthquake-survival)

~~~
akira2501
> Adam and Jamie also wanted to find out how clean the drying area of the
> restroom stayed with each drying method. Before the previous experiment
> began, the mock restrooms were thoroughly cleaned.

Which is already completely unrealistic. Next time you see a Dyson "Air Blade"
in a restroom, bend down and look into the machine from the side. What you see
will almost certainly prevent you from ever using one of those ever again.

~~~
radicaldreamer
Spoiler: It's corroded and full of gunk - either fungus or bacteria because
it's a nice warm spot with plenty of moisture and heat.

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Gracana
Why is it that all this general interest news stuff doesn't fall under the HN
guideline "If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic."?

I've resisted saying anything for a long time because it never seems to go
well for people complain, but... Come on, so much of what gets posted here is
morning talk-show junk. What's the deal? Have I misinterpreted the rule?

~~~
dvfjsdhgfv
I, on the other hand, was surprised this article got flagged. After all this
politics you actually get a bit of useful practical information (not to use
these dryers) albeit it's only remotely tech-related.

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niftich
A few years ago, you could usually find paper towels in public bathrooms.
These were useful for many reasons, not the least bit for actually drying your
hands in <10 seconds.

After a long drive, you could freshen up by washing your face, then pat dry.
Now you have to carry your own towels, or walk out wet. You could use paper to
hold open the door handle that others doubtlessly touched with their unwashed
hands, so you wouldn't defeat your own washing in turn. You could even brush
your teeth -- perhaps this sounds ill-advised, but most homes have
toothbrushes sitting closer to toilets than you'd find in a public bathroom.

Then nicer washrooms began replacing their paper with modern air dryers: not
even the old-style World Dryers that actually generate heat, but ones based on
extremely fast air at room- or lukewarm temps. These are hardly more effective
than vigorously shaking your hands and spewing your own water everywhere, and
typically work best when used in concert with the former.

Complimentary towels were convenient, but now -- except for truck stops, or
long-forgotten gas stations where time stands still -- they're extremely rare.
For me, disposable ones are now part of my travel kit.

~~~
beenBoutIT
Anyone here work with an environmental group or an ad agency that wants to win
an ad award? Imagine the money and trees that would be saved if all bathrooms
were required to have exit doors that pushed out. An intelligent owner would
look at the waste can by the bathroom door full of paper towels that aren't
free and quickly realize that changing the door hinges to the push-open exit
type would pay for itself and save them lots of money and cleanup over time.
Would really make for a tremendous PSA that would have an enormous impact .

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mrfusion
I’m also wondering if they damage peoples hearing? Some of them are extremely
loud

and I feel especially bad for kids who’s ears could be less than a foot from
the dryer due to their height.

~~~
jawns
I don't not generally wish anvils to drop on anyone, but I make an exception
for the people who decide that the best place to put a baby changing table is
right next to the jet-engine hand dryer.

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jawns
I've seen variations on these experiments for years, but they all seem at
least somewhat contrived and don't actually tell me what I really want to
know: Do people actually become sick more frequently because they use hand
dryers vs. paper towels? One would think that more bacteria colonies on plates
would make illness more likely, but it's not a direct measurement of increased
rates of illness. That's what I want to see.

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justinator
This is very low on my priority list of things I'm going to worry about.

~~~
murukesh_s
Or what if like the sugar industry it's sponsored by the paper towel guys.

~~~
IshKebab
I used to work at Dyson. A lot of this research genuinely is funded by the
paper towel lobby. Yes that is a thing.

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ams6110
> Everyone knows that it’s common decency to close the toilet lid after you’ve
> been to the bathroom.

I very rarely see a public toilet with a lid. A seat yes, but not a lid.

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toomanybeersies
How does wiping your hands on your jeans compare to hand dryers or using paper
towels?

That's a study I'd like to see.

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ttul
Serious question: does it matter getting sprayed with small amounts of shit?

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bkjelden
I have an unusually strong hatred of these machines:

* They are incredibly loud

* I inevitably end up spraying water all over my pants

* I have large hands and it takes forever to dry them

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rubatuga
Studies have been done in the past that show the same phenomenon. If possible,
I tend to close the lid before flushing, and I always choose to use paper
towels. Also, they should really check if Dyson air dryers (contains a HEPA
filter), are affected to the same degree?

~~~
miaklesp
How do you know did you flush well or not?

~~~
acjohnson55
You wait around, lift, and check, of course! Then you scrub your prints from
the lid and the flush handle. This is how you use the bathroom incognito.

~~~
mancerayder
I'm curious what might draw one towards the need to defecate incognito. Is
there a Tor-let available in one of the stall-mans?

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asimjalis
Nicholson Baker in Mezzanine has a long internal monologue about paper towels
vs hand dryers. A good summary of the different opinions that are possible.

~~~
beenBoutIT
Does he address the issue of the massive waste caused by pull-handle style
exit doors? This is the saddest example of bad design (the door mechanism that
requires touching to pull open) causing a situation that perpetually generates
a tremendous amount of paper towel waste. Push-open bathroom exit doors seem
like an easy fix with no downside.

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agumonkey
then reverse them into vacuum

