In Connecticut, researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine found that bathroom hand dryers are blowing bacteria and microbes everywhere, even beyond the bathroom and into the building. Bacteria was found in the bathroom air, on people in the restroom, and throughout the building as well, and it wasn’t just bacteria from the hand dryers that was the issue. They found that the hand dryers weren’t the only source of bacteria, but that they helped circulate the bacteria spewed into the air from flushing toilets.
When hand dryers weren’t on, they found very little evidence of bacteria, about six colonies per plate, but it jumped up to 60 colonies per plate when hand dryers were being used. While a HEPA filter reduced the amount of bacteria circulated in the bathrooms, it did not totally eliminate the issue, making us wonder why all bathrooms aren’t going back to paper towels, recycled paper ones of course.