New-style jet air dryers present hygiene risks
New-style jet air dryers actually increase the amount of bacteria on the hands after drying – and potentially spread contamination to other washroom users too.
These were the results of a 2008 study into hand drying carried out by scientists at the University of Westminster.
Volunteers with artificially contaminated hands were asked to wash then dry them using either a new-style jet air dryer, a warm air dryer or paper towels. The new-style jet air dryer was shown to disperse the contamination up to a distance of at least two metres.
“Any such contamination could be blown over the person using the adjacent unit and inhaled by any persons present in the washroom,” it was claimed in the study, which was commissioned by the European Tissue Symposium.
Warm air dryers increase the bacteria count
Both warm air dryers tested were also found to increase the amount of bacteria on the hands after drying. After using the warm air dryer, bacteria levels increased by an average of 194 per cent on the finger pads and 254 per cent on the palms.
Drying with the jet air dryer resulted in an average bacteria increase of 42 per cent on the finger pads and 15 per cent on the palms. However, drying the hands with a paper towel reduced the bacteria by an average of 76 per cent on the finger pads and 77 per cent on the palms.
Traditional warm air dryers were also found to take four times as long as either paper towels or new-style jet air dryers to dry the hands.
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