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Latest Prevention & Wellness News<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, Aug. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Flushing public toilets or urinals can spew clouds of particles filled with germs into the air, including the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19<\/a>, Chinese researchers warn.<\/p>\n That’s why wearing a mask is a must if you need to use a public restroom. Both urine- and feces-based virus transmission is possible.<\/p>\n A study by Yangzhou University researchers found public urinals could be especially hazardous. The findings were recently published in the journal Physics of Fluids<\/i>.<\/p>\n “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<\/a>,” researcher Xiangdong Liu said in a journal news release.<\/p>\n Using computer simulations, Liu’s team found that more than 57% of aerosol particles released when a urinal is flushed travel.<\/p>\n Those contaminated particles can reach a man’s thighs within 5.5 seconds. In comparison, it takes 35 seconds for particles from a flushed toilet to reach slightly higher. “The climbing speed is much faster than toilet flushing,” Liu said.<\/p>\n Urinals are used more often within densely populated areas, and particles from them travel faster and farther than those from toilets, posing a serious public health challenge, researchers said.<\/p>\n The findings highlight the importance of wearing a mask in public places — especially restrooms.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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