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In many homes a fairly frequent reason for discussion is to leave the toilet lid up after having used it. I don't have scientific data to corroborate this claim, but it's all about getting on and doing the study. But what we do have verifiable data on is the dangers of pulling the chain having left the lid up. If you want to know more about the problems they can pose to your health, I invite you to continue reading.

Is there a study on this?

That is absolutely true. A group of American researchers from the University of Colorado set out to measure the impact of flushing with the toilet lid raised. In reality, the idea was to know if the coronavirus could be transmitted by aerosols generated in bathrooms with contaminated feces. To carry out the study they used two lasers, a toilet and measurement and analysis chambers.

What conclusions did they reach?

The results, published in the journal Nature, surprised even the researchers themselves. They expected that when pulling the chain, by the force of the water in the cistern, small drops of water would float around the cup. But what they found is that they left with great force up to a height of 1.5 meters, and also traveling at speeds that exceeded two meters per second.

Why can it be dangerous?

The larger droplets, the ones we see with the naked eye, fall quickly and close to the toilet, but the small ones remain floating in the air for several minutes. The problem is that these water droplets are contaminated with pathogens such as E-Coli, Clostridium difficile, norovirus or adenovirus, all of them coming from our feces and our urine.

Can we contaminate ourselves with these pathogens?

Those viruses and bacteria, which as we have seen remain floating in our bathroom for minutes, will end up stuck to the walls or the floor, but also to towels, faucets or even our toothbrush.

So, do they stick to the lid?

Correct. By lowering the lid we will not prevent contaminated droplets from shooting out, but they will remain stuck to the inside of the lid. It will be enough to properly clean and disinfect this surface frequently.

What can we do to avoid contamination?

The main thing is to lower the toilet lid before pulling the chain, and if we have to use it again wait a few minutes before lifting the lid again. Another interesting action would be to ventilate the bathroom as much as possible, either by opening a small window or using an air extraction system.

And in public toilets that don't have a lid?

There are many public toilets that do not have a lid to lower it. In this case, and if there is no choice but to use them, the only thing we can do is leave the bathroom as soon as possible as soon as we pull the chain.

  • Saturated Nurse
  • Adenovirus
  • Infectious diseases