Posted on 08/21/2020 1:40:21 PM PDT by billorites
Here's one more thing to worry about: Flushing that toilet—or urinal—could spread COVID-19.
A study from Chinese researchers at Yangzhou University on Wednesday found that the flushing action from both toilets and urinals can release clouds of virus-teeming aerosols, making public restrooms a potentially risky place for transmission. The researchers' advice: If you're going to use a public restroom, wear a mask.
"Wearing a mask should be mandatory within public restrooms during the pandemic, and anti-diffusion improvements are urgently needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19," the researchers warned.
Flushing a toilet or urinal has always posed some kind of hygiene risk, as the action creates an interaction between gas and air. In the paper, titled Virus Transmission from Urinals, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, the researchers found that a urinal was potentially even more risky. The research used a model to track aerosol particles released during flushing, and found that in a urinal, those particles could spread up to a typical man's thigh level in about five and a half seconds, versus around half a minute for a flushing toilet.
As a result, flushing from urinals produces a "more violent climbing tendency," the researchers said, adding it's something they had noticed outside of their research.
This latest study builds on previous evidence that COVID-19 can spread through restrooms. As early as February, Chinese researchers flagged that the virus could spread through feces, and one of the virus routes of transmission could be via the "fecal-oral" route—a particular worry on cruise ships.
Queasiness aside, the research highlights just how difficult it is to track and understand the many sources of virus transmission—a struggle that is frustrating even the most diligent governments the world over, including New Zealand, which previously announced it had contained the virus.
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
I call BS.
Only relevant until November 4, then pop, it turns into just another virus.
Uh, then how are the ladies getting it? Bottom line, STOP LICKING THE URINALS!. You would think........
So basically crapping and peeing on the ground like the bums do in Dem cities is more hygenic - typical liberal “thinking”
Oh great, now they are going to try to order men to become sitzspinklers.
Actually, a lot (not all) of the public restrooms in China are filthy.
Most amazing virus ever.
First farts, now this.....
This must be the most transmissible virus in the history of everything.
Next thing you know we will all have to have mandatory outhouses that only one person can use, with a face shield, mask and nitrile gloves.
So standing across the room and aiming at the odorizer donut is the way to go?
Cool. Been doing that since summer camp. /s
Yeah. Like no one could have expected that. I’m kind of amused that they keep coming up with “new” ways the virus could be transmitted, which are pretty much the ways viruses have always been transmitted, just to get a headline and keep the fear going.
Maybe this is how the 3 sea shells come about.
They can track Covid-19 in wastewater, interesting factoid and are doing so, why aren’t they showing that the virus has already spread.
And stop eating those urinal “mints” too!
That explains the devastation in the homeless community.
Oh, wait...
Yeah. I’m sure COVID is a much greater threat to your girls in the restroom than the man identifying as a woman that day.
“one of the virus routes of transmission could be via the “fecal-oral” route”
So in fact it is actually possible to “eat shit and die”?
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