Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/03/08/new-study-finds-that-closing-the-toilet-lid-when-flushing-isnt-all-that-effective-for-cutting-down-viral-contamination.html
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Déjà vu (Reboing). Why can’t BB contributors search before posting‽
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I recommend taking coursework in parasitology and microbiology. Your brain screams “AAAAH!” for a few weeks at the revelation We Are Not Alone, then you make peace with being a composite, largely commensal organism.
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Honestly curious if this might function as a type of “exposure therapy” for individuals with OCD. Curious for a friend…
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At this point, I’m just glad the post didn’t include an AI generated image of a toilet spewing fecal matter into the air.
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I don’t close the toilet lid at my house when flushing to prevent the spread of viruses. I close the toilet lid at my house when I’m done using it because I have dogs who seem to think it’s a water dish.
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I always close the lid and get frustrated when others don’t. This post (even if it’s a reboing, since I missed the previous one) inspired me to go out and get pucks for the toilets.
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it’s trivially obvious that part of the spray generated by flushing will strike the lid if it is down. there’s can’t not be a reduction in the amount of material that escapes the bowl. i think there must be some nuance that is getting lost in translation
“It’s obvious” and “It makes sense” rarely factor into actual outcomes of scientific experiments. There is always a gap between the seat and the rim. I can speculate that there is a turbulent flow set up by the flush that forces the particulate matter out through this gap and circulating into the environment. But that is pure speculation. Turbulent air flow is a really complicated subject. And I am not an expert by any means.
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I wonder how flatulence compares to flushing for aerosol contamination
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The study did show that using the lid significantly changes where the droplets land, but doesn’t do as much good as one might hope. This seems like an opportunity to make a lid that seals better if the goal of a lid included reducing airborne and surface contamination from the fecal plume from toilets.
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Believe it or not, that has been studied. By having OR nurses and surgeons fart onto pertri dishes, clothed and, well, not. Turns out, as long as you keep your undies on, contamination is not a problem.
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Most of my bathroom gas passing happens while seated, so no underwear to account for. Maybe what bathrooms of the future need is, like, active air filtration with an intake near the seat hinge.
But how does that work with the warm air heinie dryer? Future fixtures are quite complex.
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I’m more concerned with people lowering the damn seat when they’re done.
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Couple things. The first is that this test was on viruses, not bacteria. Prior studies have shown that closing the lid does reduce the amount of cross contamination of fecal matter inoculated with c. difficile. This earlier study’s conclusion was to discourage lidless toilets in hospital settings to reduce the transmission. Which of course went nowhere because lids on public toilets are prohibited by code.
However, that study was of bacteria in chunks of fecal matter getting a free ride in water droplets. This newer study was on a substitute for MS2 bacteriophage, which are much smaller than bacteria, and survive in an aerosol (much smaller than water droplets generated by spray.)
The other is that US toilets were never designed to contain the plume. They were designed long before people thought of such things, and current US building codes mandate the old designs because they provide appropriate ventilation required to make the plumbing work (a sealed lid could affect the flushing such that the bowl water would not stay trapped in the P, opening a path for sewer gases to escape.)
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