Flushing urinals can spread COVID-19, study finds

© Provided by Eat This, Not That!
Toilet sign on a toilet door, on wooden background

It turns out that a toilet paper shortage may not be your biggest pandemic worry this fall. If you don’t wear a face mask in public restrooms during the pandemic, you may want to start. Why? Two words: infectious particles. Flushing a toilet or urinal can release coronavirus particles into the air, according to a new study.

In a study published Monday in the journal Fluid physicsChinese researchers say urinals can be even more infectious than toilets because they produce an “alarming upward flow” of particles that “travel faster and fly further” than those produced by a flush.

“Flushing the urinals does indeed promote the spread of bacteria and viruses,” researcher Xiangdong Liu said in a press release. “Face masks should be mandatory in public washrooms during the pandemic, and anti-release improvements are urgently needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

RELATED: I’m a doctor and here’s how to never catch COVID-19 indoors

Using computer models, the researchers found that just five seconds after flushing a urinal, released virus particles can rise two feet above the ground. (In June, some of the same researchers released the results of a simulation that found that a flush releases thousands of particles, some of which are thrown a foot above the toilet bowl in about 30 minutes. seconds.)

“It is reasonable to assume that the high velocity airflow will expel aerosol particles from the toilet to areas above the toilet, allowing viruses to spread inside, causing risks to the toilet. human health, ”the researchers said.

These particles can then hover in the air, where they can be inhaled by subsequent people using the facilities, and settle on surfaces such as handles and doorknobs.

Could COVID be spread by aerosolization?

Although the coronavirus has been isolated from feces and urine, and it has been theorized that the virus can be spread through fecal-oral contact, the new study raises eyebrows as it suggests that COVID-19 could also be transmissible by viral particles in the urine.

Health officials have said the coronavirus is spread mainly through face-to-face contact – for example, you stand near someone who is infected with the virus and who coughs or sneezes, producing infectious respiratory droplets that you can inhale and become infected. These droplets are quite large and it is generally believed that they can travel about six feet before falling quickly to the ground.

RELATED: The CDC just announced you shouldn’t be wearing these masks

The extent to which the virus is aerosolized – that is, transmissible by smaller droplets that can persist in the air – is a topic that has received more attention in recent weeks. The World Health Organization has stated that “short-range aerosol transmission … cannot be ruled out”. Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, said: “I think there is definitely some degree of aerosolization,” in an Aug. 3 interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association. “But I’m going to take a step back and make sure we get the facts before I start talking about it.”

Could this already be happening?

Chinese researchers say the spray infection in the toilet has already occurred, highlighting the case of a husband and wife who allegedly contracted the virus in a public toilet at a food market in Beijing. “Two of the re-emerging confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Beijing are believed to have been infected from public toilets, which practically proves the danger of public toilets,” the scientists said.

To protect yourself, do all you can to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19: wear a face mask in all public places, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid large gatherings, practice social distancing, wash your hands regularly, and to get you through this pandemic to the best of your health, don’t miss these 37 places where you’re most likely to catch the coronavirus.

Gallery: 8 Ways To Catch The Coronavirus Without Knowing It (ETNT Health)