Study finds no evidence of airborne COVID transmission in public washrooms

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, research is being conducted to find different aspects of the virus, and its ways of spreading. In a latest study, researchers found no evidence of airborne COVID transmission in public toilets. The research by conducted by Australian researchers led by Australian National University Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis (ANU).

The peer-reviewed study was published in Science of Total Environment. In order to determine public toilets’ risk of viral and bacterial transmission, the researchers analysed as many as 38 studies from 13 countries published from 2000 to 2020. The researchers said that they took several transmission modes into considerations in public washrooms including inhalation, surface contact and faecal-oral.  ANU Professor and the lead author of the study Sotiris Vardoulakis said that they did not find any evidence of airborne transmission of pathogens, including COVID-19, in public toilets. 

Professor Vardoulakis further stated that if the bathroom is well maintained and people take good care of hand hygiene the risk of getting COVID-19 from a public toilet becomes very low. "It is seen that people are apprehensive about using washrooms during the pandemic, but there is no risk if they take care of hygiene and don't use the mobile phones or eat in the loo," he said, adding that public health measured should still be strictly followed.

The study noted that proper hand hygiene, surface cleaning, washroom maintenance and ventilation are a few of the measures which help in minimising the risk of infectious disease transmission. The study, which was funded by Dyson, did not deny the fact that defective funding and increase the risk. However, it also stated that there is a need for more studies to determine  SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk in public places. 

'Taking care of personal hygiene reduces risk of contamination and transmission in public washrooms'

The study further noted that COVID infected patients seem to shed the virus through their faeces which makes it a potential transmission source. Professor Vardoulakis said that although a few studies have claimed that airborne transmission is a potential route of transmission of COVID-19, his team did not find any such evidence in public washrooms.

He also outlined that contamination is different from the transmission but did not deny that surfaces of public washrooms can become contaminated with bacterial and viral pathogens. In an attempt to reduce the risk of contamination and transmission in public washrooms, the study also suggested several precautions such as, closing the lid of the toilet before flushing, using electric doors in the bathroom, taking care of environmental hygiene, etc.  

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