According to a new study, this part of the airport carries more germs than toilets

SALT LAKE CITY – There is no way around the problem. You will have to use the dirtiest place of the airport during your trip.

According to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, the plastic trays of airports are the most filled with germs.

The study, published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, indicates that trays could be cleaned more often to prevent the spread of disease.

The research team monitored the levels of germs on various surfaces inside the airport during the winter of 2016. They found that places such as payment terminals, stairs, the New York Times.

"Plastic bins – used at checkpoints at airports around the world and affected by millions of passengers who put on shoes, laptops, luggage and other items to clean x-ray scanners – are home to a variety of those responsible for the cold, "the Times reported.

The cause of a cold and flu signs were also present during their tests.

The report revealed that there was more germs on the airport trays than a toilet seat in an airport.

"This study confirms the need to raise public awareness about the spread of viral infections," said Jonathan Van Tram, professor of health protection at the University of Nottingham School of Medicine. "People can help minimize contagion by washing their hands hygienically and coughing in a handkerchief, tissue or cloth at all times, but especially in public places."

As reported by CNN, the team said that airports could offer "hand-disinfecting opportunities when intense and repeated surface contact occurs, for example immediately before and after the security check" .

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Earlier this year, a study conducted 18 tests on six different surfaces at three major airports to find that the airport's self-checking kiosks contained the largest number of colony-forming bacteria, according to my report for Deseret News.

The study identified the armrests and the water fountains as other dirty places.

A study conducted in 2015 identified aircraft trays as the dirtiest places in the airport with the most sprouted surfaces.

"Of course, interacting with these surfaces, whether before or after boarding, is not a guarantee of catching a virus," says CNN. "Your best bet? Wash your hands as much as possible and leave the hand sanitizer on hold.