{"id":2273,"date":"2020-07-29T12:17:44","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T11:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.btaloos.co.uk\/?p=2273"},"modified":"2020-07-29T12:47:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T11:47:41","slug":"coronavirus-a-report-on-warm-air-dryers-paper-towels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.btaloos.co.uk\/?p=2273","title":{"rendered":"CoronaVirus: a report on Warm Air Dryers & Paper Towels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Airdri: paper \u2013\nMicrobiologist\u2019s report<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an\nexperienced microbiologist, I have been asked if I feel safe using a public\nwashroom in the current coronavirus pandemic and how the virus could be\ntransmitted in a washroom? The virus responsible for the pandemic has been\nnamed \u2018severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2\u2019 (or SARS-CoV-2) and\nthis causes the disease COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second\nquestion is easy to answer: Current informed opinion shows that SARS-CoV-2 is\nspread by droplet transmission, and also by contacting contaminated surfaces\nand then touching your face. UK Government, NHS, CDC and WHO sources all\nemphasize social distancing and the need for adequate handwashing as well as\nhand sanitation to prevent transmission. The risks of contracting COVID-19\nshould be no greater in a washroom than in any other communal space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If hands are washed thoroughly then neither of these drying methods will have any further affect on transmission. Please WASH & DRY your hands!<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If\nwashroom users have no obvious symptoms of COVID-19 there should be little risk\nof infection, however there is some debate about the release of SARS-CoV-2 by people\nbefore they show symptoms, so there is a possibility of being exposed to\ncontaminated air and surfaces[1]<\/sup>. However the risks are probably\ngreater in the general workplace where coughing and sneezing (and even speaking[2]<\/sup>)\ncan release airborne SARS-CoV-2 which can survive up to 15 minutes in droplets\nand aerosols in air [3]<\/sup>. With droplet transmission respiratory\ndroplets are generally large enough (> 100 microns in diameter) to\nfall to the floor rapidly and within 2 meters of the person who is coughing or\nsneezing.[4]<\/sup> These droplets should adhere to surfaces and the floor\nas they are comprised of mucus \u2013 reducing the risk of transmission. Droplet\ntransmission of coronaviruses by washroom activities is also unlikely as the air\nis constantly changed, typically 8 – 12 times per hour,[5,6]<\/sup> which\nwill remove droplets as will \u2018natural\u2019 ventilation due to opening and closing\ndoors. Many smaller washrooms are also fitted with \u2018air purifiers\u2019 to control\nodours and remove microbial contaminants. Previous (pre-pandemic) studies on\nthe spread of droplets containing faecal bacteria from flushing toilets,\noperating hand dryers and handwashing have detected faecal bacteria in the air\nand on surfaces, with Escherichia coli<\/em>,\nStreptococcus and Salmonella bacteria being found in public washrooms, and\npathogenic Clostridium difficile<\/em> and\nMRSA detected in hospital washrooms and toilets.[7,8,9]<\/sup> SARS\u2013CoV-19\nhas been reported in faeces[10]<\/sup> however there are no reports of\ntransmission via this route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\nnotable feature of this research has been the long-standing debate about the\nrelative advantages (or otherwise) of hand dryers over paper towels and their\nrole in the transmission of pathogens. Much of the research is related to\nhospital usage of hand dryers, and it is generally accepted that they should\nnot be used in clinical areas due to the noise rather than any published epidemiological\nevidence to show that they are unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This debate is fueled\nby the sales of paper towels and hand dryers in the washroom sector: market\nresearch indicates that sales of multi-fold paper towels will reach $4bn this\nyear while sales of hand dryers will reach $856m, having grown 12% every year\nsince 2014. The paper towel manufacturers, supported by some biased scientific\nliterature and scaremongering in the public press, report that hand dryers are\nunhygienic and contribute to the spread of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in\nthe washroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, the\nhand dryer industry reports that both paper towels and their dispensers can\nharbour significant amounts of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, that used\ntowels cannot be recycled and they have a negative environmental impact. [11,12]\n<\/sup>Potentially pathogenic microbes are spread in the washroom by the users\nnot washing and drying their hands correctly and via the HVAC system supplying\ncontaminated air from other rooms in the building.[13]<\/sup> In a small\n(50 m3<\/sup>) washroom, a single operation of a typical hand dryer would only\ndisturb 2-3% of the volume of air in a single operation and is unlikely to\ncontribute to the spread of microbes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is\nthat there is no real difference between paper towels and hand dryers when it\ncomes to cleanliness.[11]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the light of available\ninformation about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 there are two key facts which emerge\nand warrant attention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first, particularly in the present pandemic, is the importance of hand-washing. Most of the hygiene problems arising in washrooms to date have been due to inadequate hand washing. Pre-pandemic observations have shown that nearly 95% of adults did not wash long enough to thoroughly clean bacteria and viruses from their hands.[14]<\/sup>
Furthermore, one UK study reported that:
99% of people visiting a public washroom said they had washed their hands after going to the toilet however, recording devices showed that only 32 percent of men and 64 percent of women actually had.[14]<\/sup> <\/strong>Washing is the key to the removal of bacteria and viruses, and organizations such as the WHO, CDC and DHSS detail the correct way to do it. [15,16,17]  <\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second is the importance of drying hands properly. In\nseveral studies people spent, on average, just 22.5 seconds drying their hands\nand 45% of washroom users wiped their hands on their clothing to finish drying.[18]\n<\/sup>An observational study in 2006 timed 5000 hand drying events at a\nmotorway service station and noted that men used the warm\nair hand dryers for an average of 20 seconds, whilst women used them for just\n16 seconds. These reported mean drying times are substantially below 30 seconds,\nso it can only be concluded that most users of warm air hand dryers do not\nachieve full drying of their hands. [19]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Health Organization has\nstated that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air hand dryer.<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> [20]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key message\nfor hand hygiene in washrooms is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.       ensure the hands are correctly washed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.       ensure hands are thoroughly dried (10 seconds of drying with either paper towels or jet air dryers; or up to 40 seconds using a warm air hand dryer [21]<\/sup>), <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.        do not touch any surfaces after drying\nhands, and if you do<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.       use a hand sanitizer when outside the\nwashroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In answer to my first question \u2013 \u201cwould I feel safe using a public washroom in the current pandemic?\u201d is \u201cyes, it is now probably safer than I did in pre-pandemic days. If people wash their hands correctly, and then dry using either hand towels or hand dryers according to WHO guidelines transient micro-organisms derived from contact will be washed off (soap has been shown to denature SARS-CoV-2),: and any aerosol generated from clean hands by hand dryers will not transmit pathogenic  bacteria or viruses into the washroom\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS AND WEBSITES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1]  https:\/\/www.medrxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2020.03.23.20039446v2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]  https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2020-04-important-speech-transmitting-coronavirus.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]  https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1056\/NEJMc2004973<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]\n https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/j.1600-0668.2009.00626.x<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]  https:\/\/www.hse.gov.uk\/pUbns\/priced\/l24.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]  http:\/\/www.solutionsforair.com\/resources\/rulesofthumb\/restroom.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7]  <\/strong>https:\/\/www.initial.com\/assets\/content\/files\/journey-of-the-germ-white-paper.pdf<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/living\/3272186\/this-is-how-many-germs-are-lurking-in-your-bathroom-and-youll-be-horrified-at-the-dirtiest-spot\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9]  <\/strong>https:\/\/microbewiki.kenyon.edu\/index.php\/Microbiology_of_Hospital_Washrooms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10] https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/coronavirus-covid-19-spread-through-feces.html?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[11]  https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2019\/apr\/25\/hand-dryers-paper-towels-hygiene-dyson-airblade<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[12]https:\/\/www.intelligenthanddryers.com\/blog\/hand-dryers-are-they-hygienic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[13] https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5881072\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[14]https:\/\/www.transplumb.com\/news-archive\/news-2017\/16-03-17-srticle-proper-handwashing-and-drying<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[15]  https:\/\/www.who.int\/gpsc\/clean_hands_protection\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[16] <\/strong>https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/handwashing\/index.html<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[17]https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/live-well\/healthy-body\/best-way-to-wash-your-hands\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[18]    <\/strong>http:\/\/info.debgroup.com\/blog\/bid\/297155\/Paper-Towels-or-Hot-Air-Dryers-Which-is-Better-Why<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[19] <\/strong>https:\/\/sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/j.1365-2672.2010.04838.x<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[20] https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-8004761\/Hand-dryers-wont-kill-coronavirus-World-Health-Organization-debunk-10-biggest-myths.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[21] http:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/news\/2013\/06June\/Pages\/Paper-towels-may-be-more-hygienic-than-hand-dryers.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. David L. Webber 10th April 2020 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related products: NEW Air Purification Units <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Odours are created by bacteria, viruses, mould, fungi and volatile organic compounds in the air and on surfaces. It is these odours that generate the perception of poor washroom hygiene. Tests carried out at Porton Down have proved that the Airdri Air Purifier kills 98.11% of all airborne and surface bacteria and viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By killing harmful airborne and surface viruses and bacteria, the Airdri Thermal U\/V Washroom Air Purifier eliminates odours from the washroom reassuring users that the washroom is clean. Regular cleaning and the use of disinfectants and masking agents cannot control the spread of micro-organisms however the Air Purifier can provide 24\/7 infection and odour control by sanitising the air and all exposed surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n