New study finds bacteria abounds in bathrooms
Posted Nov 24, 2011 02:51:35 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new study finds that many people are ignoring Mom’s advice to wash their hands before leaving the washroom.
The University of Colorado in Boulder found bacteria to be plentiful on virtually every bathroom surface you might imagine touching.
Gut bacteria, the type of bugs that live in our gastrointestinal tracts, were even found on the handles of bathroom exits.
Researchers tested surfaces in 12 bathrooms on the university campus to look for microbes.
They found a variety of bacteria, even though the facilities were well maintained.
The microbes broke down roughly into three groups, bacteria that live on skin, bacteria from the outdoors likely brought in on shoes and bacteria that live inside people and are passed in waste.
The latter type is the one which would pose the most concern.
The findings were published in the journal PLoS One, a publication of the U.S. Public Library of Science.
