Contrary to previous study findings, closing the toilet lid before flushing doesn’t stop aerosolized viruses from contaminating bathroom surfaces, scientists from the University of Arizona and Reckitt Benckiser LLC, the company that makes the disinfectant used in the study, report in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The researchers added a bacteriophage (virus that targets and kills bacteria) to household and public toilet bowls as a proxy for human intestinal viruses. After they flushed the toilets (with the lid open or closed in case of the household toilets), they measured viral contamination of the toilet and bathroom floor and walls.
“Research has demonstrated that people with COVID-19, even those who are asymptomatic, excrete severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in fecal matter and other excretions,” the researchers wrote. “Viruses contaminating urine and feces can be aerosolized in building restrooms during toilet flushing.”
The resulting toilet aerosol plumes, they said, can land on surfaces more than 5 feet away.
Funded and authored by the company wanting to sell you their disinfectant.
Conflicts of interest: Drs. Julie McKinney and M. Khalid Ijaz are engaged in R&D at Reckitt Benckiser LLC. The other authors declare no competing interests.
Funding/support: This study was funded by a grant to the University of Arizona from Reckitt Benckiser.
Ironically, stating the full truth would help them more. Mythbusters proved that even several rooms away will have fecal particles
Mythbusters proved that there are fecal bacteria everywhere and as such you can never reasonably completely avoid it. However, they didn’t prove whether there are other bacteria or viruses that are kept contained with a closed lid compared to with an open lid, or if the viral/bacterial load is lower with a closed lid.
The only way to stop this would be to change toilet lids to be an air tight seal (with some kind of 1 way valve to allow air in for flushing) or control the air flow, in a way that’s strong enough to capture ejected particles, and suck it through a filter.
The second option would have the added benefit of capturing particulates when people are actually farting and shitting, as well as removing the smell.
@WhatAmLemmy @Icalasari
I’d guess the toilets with the vacuum suction (like planes) would pull in many of the aerosol articles, reducing density
They established this in one of the most disturbing MythBusters episodes years ago.
edit: actually, I’ve realized in that episode that the toilet didn’t have a lid, so while the experiment wasn’t the same, you can probably draw the same conclusion when control toothbrushes outside the bathroom were also affected
Still looking for the episode, but here’s a short writeup
https://tvovermind.com/far-worst-thing-ever-discovered-mythbusters/
edit: looks like it was episode 12
https://mythresults.com/episode12
https://mythbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Break_Step_Bridge_(Episode)
edit2: This is it from their Facebook page
https://m.facebook.com/MythBusters/videos/surprise-toothbrush/10152461851823224/
Mythbusters busted this myth long before studies. Turns out that air pressure is enough to push the particles flying from the bowl despite the lid, because the toilet lid isn’t a good air tight seal, and the air is pushed out due to water volume increase.
So basically closing the lid doesn’t help.
Ok it doesn’t 100 percent stop it or it doesn’t help at all? Because I always assumed something as small as a poop bacteria could get through the little cracks but I also assumed having it go through the cracks was better than having it go through the massive entire open bowl where it seemed like more would spray out. Did they comparison test the amount of bacteria on surfaces or just prove that some gets through?
Edit: obviously I could be wrong but it also seems like having the lid down would direct more bacteria to lower surfaces whereas having it open would give an easier path to higher surfaces where we tend to keep things like toothbrushes.
Probably depends on the amount of air pressure generated. Then any throttled venturi opening will increase the velocity through it.
Which is to say, closing the lid could make it shoot farther through the opening.
But that would also direct it horizontally vs vertically, which is probably preferred.
Tldr; Control toothbrush contained 98% bacteria or close enough. Make of that what you will. Basically, close your tootbrush in the cupboard.
Didn’t Mythbusters just prove that the particular kind(s) of fecal bacteria they checked for are present everywhere at all times?
You need to buy disinfectant, says company that sells disinfectant
half of yall be eating ass but also worried about a little shit mist. you definitely don’t want to know about farts.
