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More germs found in places other than toilets: Airport study
Airport security trays were found to contain a high concentration of cold-causing viruses.
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Airport security trays were found to contain a high concentration of cold-causing viruses. (Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images)
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recent study by Finnish and British researchers was published last week in the BMC Infectious Diseases journal, saying they found the highest concentrations of respiratory viruses on airport security trays, reports The Washington Post.
The study tested swabs from surface samples of the plastic bins at Helsinki Airport, taken at three different times during the peak of the 2015 to 2016 flu season. The test found rhinovirus or adenovirus, the cause of cold-like symptoms, in four of eight samples.
Those sample trays were the plastic ones used in the security check area for depositing carry-on luggage and personal items, according to the journal.
Other places where germs are frequently found are listed below:
A pharmacy’s terminal payment
Fifty percent of samples from Helsinki Airport pharmacy’s payment terminal buttons were contaminated with rhinovirus or the human coronavirus.
Passport control checkpoint
Rhinovirus was found in one of three samples taken at the desks and glass dividers at the airport’s passport control checkpoint.
Toys in the children’s playground
Researchers who repeatedly swabbed a plastic toy dog in the airport’s children’s playground found that 67 percent of the samples hosted cold-causing viruses.
On the contrary, the study says, of the 42 samples taken from toilet lids, flush buttons and door locks, there were zero samples where scientists detected the presence of a cold virus. This is because of the frequent cleaning.
“No respiratory viruses were detected in a considerable number of samples from the surfaces of toilets most commonly touched, which is not unexpected, as passengers may pay particular attention to limiting touch and to hygiene in a washroom environment,” the scientists said.
Read also: Beijing's new airport comes with new construction tech
The study concluded that the best way to avoid virus contamination is a simple, good old-fashioned wipe down. Cleaning agents, household (antibacterial) wipes and antiviral tissues are capable of reducing the risk of indirect contact transmission. (mut)
