South Florida scientists tested how flushing impacts the air in a public bathroom.
Florida Atlantic University looked at how flushing could cause virus droplets to float in the air, by testing 100 flushes in a public restroom on campus with a toilet and urinal, using a partial counter to track the aerosols in the air after each flush.
"For all these size ranges, from very small to large, we saw a spike in these numbers," Dr. Masoud Lashaki said.
The results show the spike in numbers could cause microbe-containing aerosols to increase, so after a toilet flush, those pathogens can cause the spread of viruses like norovirus that results in food poisoning and viruses like COVID-19.
The increase in aerosols means there is a potential risk after each flush, as scientists see a after 100 flushes in public restroom.
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