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.
I mean, fair; the lid isn’t a total seal so I expect it to be able to kinda come out around the edges of the lid; but wouldn’t it still keep all the stuff at least in a smaller area? It’s not blasting straight up in the air with the lid blocking it, is it? The floors and baseboards get cleaned pretty frequently; the ceiling not so much.
Is kind of like holding a pot lid out to block a grenade. There’s some protection but practically zero.
My main concern is always my toothbrush. But it’s on a counter above the toilet. So wouldn’t keeping the lid down help significantly, in both the direction and distance of whatever is stirred up?
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/
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
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
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.
Hmm time to replace all toilets with friggin’ autoclaves.
Every single thing in the world is covered in a thin film of bacteria
Not only that but the bacteria are constantly pooping on you
Also there are mites having sex on your face and burrowing into your hair follicles to hang out down there with their back ends sticking up into the air
Edit: They wait until you sleep to come out and have their fuck-parties
