A study from BMC Infectious Diseases shows it isn’t the airport toilet seat you should be worried about, it’s the security bins when it comes to germs.
The study was conducted in Finland at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport during peak flu season. The study tested swabs from various surfaces, including toilet seats, handrails and divider glass at a passport control point among other locations.
Researchers collected samples weekly at three different time points in 2015 and 2016.
The study found that, “Of the surfaces tested, plastic security screening trays appeared to pose the highest potential risk, and handling these is almost inevitable for all embarking passengers.”
The study also said, “To our knowledge, security trays are not routinely disinfected.”
Fifty percent of the samples taken from plastic trays tested positive for nucleic acid that could carry viruses. In comparison, no samples taken at airport restrooms tested positive.
It suggested that airports should put out hand sanitizer at entry points and exit points in security areas.
The researchers said this was one of the first studies looking at the
