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All bathroom surfaces crawling with bacteria: Study

Written by: QMI Agency
Nov. 24, 2011

Everyone knows to wash their hands after using the toilet, but some don't seem to be getting the message.

Researchers found virtually all bathroom surfaces crawling with bacteria, even the exit handles, which shows bathroom-goers are skipping the sink, according to research published Thursday in the online journal PLoS One.

University of Colorado at Boulder experts swabbed a dozen public bathrooms on campus and found few differences between the bacteria in ladies' and men's rooms.

The researchers found human skin was the main bacteria on all surfaces tested.

Floors had the most "diverse bacterial community" with organisms found in soil and brought in from people's shoes.

The researchers also found the soil bacteria on a toilet handle, suggesting someone may have flushed it with their foot, the study says.

Bacteria was found everywhere hands can possibly touch in the bathroom, including toilet handles, seats, door handles, faucet handles and soap dispensers.

Although the researchers weren't surprised by the findings, they said they were most concerned about the toilets.

Tests revealed toilets were ripe with potentially harmful gut bacteria, likely from direct contact with feces or from splashing due to flushing.

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