Jet-air hand dryer spreads 1,300 times more germs than paper towels
Jet-air hand dryers spread 60 times more germs than standard hand dryers, and 1,300 times more germs than standard paper towels, according to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.
In the experiment, University of Westminster researchers washed their hands with water containing a harmless virus and then dried their hands with either a Dyson Airblade, a standard hand dryer, or a paper towel.
Their findings revealed a Dyson dryer’s 430mph blasts of air spread germs up to three metres across a bathroom, whereas the standard hand dryer spread viruses up to 75 centimetres, and hand towels just 25 centimetres.
Professor Mark Wilcox, lead researchers, said: “Next time you dry your hands in a public toilet using an electric hand dryer, you may be spreading bacteria without knowing it. You may also be splattered with bugs from other people’s hands.
“These findings are important for understanding the ways in which bacteria spread, with the potential to transmit illness and disease.”
Dyson have hit back at claims paper towels are more hygienic than its hand driers in a video titled “Paper’s Dirty Secret”, released in February.
The video says: "Independent research shows that before they even reach the washroom, paper towels can contain large communities of culturable bacteria.
"Once in the washroom, bacteria in the air and contamination from previous users can be picked up by paper towels.”
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