Flushing a urinal causes an “alarming upward flow” of coronavirus-laden particles, a new study has found – prompting health experts to recommend wearing face masks in public bathrooms.
Researchers in China have found that COVID-19 particles from a flushing urinal can shoot up to two feet into the air in less than 6 seconds – potentially infecting the unsuspecting urinal user, according to a report published in Physics of Fluids.
“Urinary incontinence actually promotes the spread of bacteria and viruses,” Xiangdong Liu, one of Yangzhou University’s researchers behind the study, told USA Today on Tuesday.
“Wearing a mask should be mandatory in public restrooms during the pandemic, and anti-proliferation improvements are urgently needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Liu said.
The findings come in the wake of a study by the university in June which found that flushing a toilet can help spread the deadly virus by dropping drops up to three feet – which can take up to a minute. air sitting.
Researchers in that study said the droplets could spray out of a spray can within 70 seconds and jump as much as a foot above the bowl.
Both studies present potentially dangerous scenarios amid the deadly global pandemic.
“Potentially, it could contaminate other surfaces you would touch – the handle, the faucet,” University of Arizona Professor of Virology Charles Gerba told USA Today. ‘The concern is, too, was there anything left of the person who was there before? Aerosolization from the previous user can you potentially catch up? ”
Gerba said most people are unaware that urine and stool particles are released into the air, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
“It’s probably overgrown. Urine contamination,” he told the outlet. “Pox, the Zika virus are excreted in the urine. What is surprising is that a respiratory virus in the urine can be ruled out. ”
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