Surprisingly,Kurt Meinicke the toilet seat isn't the dirtiest part of an airport. Neither is the bathroom door handle, or the baggage claim, or even the floor.
Germs love the plastic security trays, according to a study from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare.
SEE ALSO: Kathleen Turner reveals what it's really like to experience Donald Trump's 'gross handshake'For the study published in BMC Infectious Diseases, researchers swabbed a variety of frequently touched surfaces at Helsinki-Vantaa airport during peak travel time in the winter of 2016. They discovered viruses on 10 percent of all the tested surfaces, including staircase rails, passport checking counters, and payment terminals.
But the most popular hotspot for infections like rhinovirus (the common cold) and influenza was the plastic security bins where passengers dumped their shoes, phones, and carry-on bags.
Even worse, the study concluded that although the viruses found on frequently touched surfaces may not cause disease, the microbes can survive on "various materials" for "up to several days."
The study's researchers hope that the findings "improve public awareness of how viral infections spread."
In a statement, the University of Nottingham's Professor of Health Protection Jonathan Van Tram suggested that travelers minimize the spread of contagious viruses by washing their hands and coughing into a handkerchief or sleeve while in public, which is the same advice elementary school teachers give their students.
"These simple precautions can help prevent pandemics and are most important in crowded areas like airports that have a high volume of people traveling to and from different parts of the world," he said.
It should be noted, however, that the study was only conducted at one airport. Considering that sanitation practices likely differ between airports, security bins may be contain more germs at some than others.
According to the University of Nottingham the study is part of a larger research project funded by the European Union that investigates how airports and other travel-heavy checkpoints are platforms for spreading serious infections. Organizers hope that the research will "strengthen public health advice in preparation for future flu pandemics."
Virology expert Niina Ikonen, who co-authored the study, suggested "technical improvements" that could limit the spread of germs. She concludes that airports could provide free hand sanitizer where "intense, repeat touching of surfaces takes place."
So after you grab your phone and shoes from airport security, consider washing your hands. You don't know what microscopic creatures are crawling across your screen.
Foul Shot
How to advocate for climate change action
Taking It to the Mattress
Anonymous Library Sculptures, and Other News by Sadie Stein
A Right to Police Accountability
I Am Not Resigned! by Sadie Stein
Drinking in the Golden Age by Ezra Glinter
Notes on Comedy, My Own and Others’ by Pedro Almodóvar
Freedom to Bash Heads
Cutouts by Jonathan Wilson
Sucking Up to the Saudis
Drinking in the Golden Age by Ezra Glinter
Ben Lerner’s “False Spring”
We need to discuss JLo sneaking 'Let's Get Loud' into Biden's inauguration
The Great Lakes Avengers vs. The Crumbling Cities of the Coast
A Residential Library by Sadie Stein
Why is Elon Musk restricting how many tweets you can see?
Sextech company reveals how COVID
The Crown Prince
English Rude Word Enters German Language, and Other News by Sadie Stein
Smart scale comparison: Fitbit vs. Withings vs. GarminLove Letters: Vita SackvilleThe best October Prime Day deals under $25TikTok trend reminds people to be kinder to themselves40+ Prime Day video game deals: Nintendo Switch, Xbox, moreWhat Havoc Did “Under the Tuscan Sun” Wreak on the Culture?In France, Rereading Old Diaries50+ Prime Day deals under $50Whiting Awards 2016: LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, PoetryGoogle Pixel 8 reviews are in — 3 things critics hate about the Android deviceHow to see your Spotify Pie chart, the latest viral website that analyzes your Spotify dataThe 10 best and funniest tweets of the week, including a tornado warning and New JerseyBen Lerner on John AshberyJames Tate’s Last Poem, Found in His TypewriterThe Full Complement: What I Learned from a Bunch of TyposMy Brief and Puzzling Career As a Security GuardLittle Man of Nuremberg: Wonder in the Age of Matthias BuchingerWho's who in 'The Fall of the House of Usher': The Usher family tree“The Solution,” a Poem by Sharon Olds (1985)David Szalay Wins Plimpton Prize; Chris Bachelder Wins Southern Prize In “Storylines,” Writers and Artists Cross Remembering Gordon Bishop Avoid This Book: The Direction of Hair in Animals and Man Staff Picks: Amy Gerstler, Barton Swaim, Matthew Gavin Frank Atticus Finch and Naming Your Children John Ashbery on Movies On the Pleasures of Not Reading How Rebracketing Gives Us New Words Looking at Vermeer’s Paintings in Manhattan Remembering the Dell Mapbacks Series Flower Voyeur: A Comic by Lauren R. Weinstein “Coke,” a Poem by Scott Cohen Malcolm Lowry Gushes in a Fan Note to Conrad Aiken Don Marquis’s “The Old Soak” My Grandmother’s Wheelchair by Stephen Hiltner Alphabet Finds Google at Its Most Machiavellian Notes on Unreadable Books Lajos Vajda’s Elaborate, Forbidding Photomontages Teenage Dream: Four Paintings by Grace Weaver The Horror of Philosophy, the Philosophy of Horror
2.3184s , 8222.875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Kurt Meinicke】,Evergreen Information Network