Air dryers found to spread germs, new study says
A recent study has found that when opting to dry your hands, it is better to skip the air dryers and opt for paper towels instead.
Volunteers in the study had their hands dipped into yoghurt containing “friendly bacteria” lactobacilli and then dried their hands using paper towels, jet air dryers and warm air dryers. The test was repeated for 60 times over the course of six weeks.
The study, led by Mark Wilcox, found the following:
He also tested the potential spread of bacteria visually. Volunteers had their hands dipped in black paint and wore white disposable suits backwards with hoods covering their faces. After drying their hands, 230 visible spots were found from the jet air driers, 30 from warm air dryers and none on the volunteers who used paper towels.
Lead author Mark Wilcox and his colleagues at Leeds Teaching Hospitals in the UK had volunteers dip gloved hands into yogurt containing lactobacilli, a type of “friendly” bacteria. Then, the volunteers dried their hands using jet air dryers, warm air dryers, and paper towels.
The test was repeated 60 times over six weeks for 20 collections of each method.
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
