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Flushing the Toilet With Lid Up Could Spread Winter Vomiting Bug
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by liamssoft | January 4, 2012 at 03:58 am
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It may seem like a subject ripe for toilet humour - but whether you close the lavatory lid before you flush could have an impact on the spread of disease, according to an expert.
Professor Mark Wilcox, Clinical Director of Microbiology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said leaving the lid up can allow a cloud of bacteria to explode into the air, settling on nearby surfaces.
They found C diff was transported up to 10 inches above the toilet seat when it was open and a reduced rate was still detected in the air up to 90 minutes later. Although C diff did travel through the gap when the lid was down it was found in far lower concentrations in the air.
When the lid was closed no C. difficile was recovered on any surface, but when it was open it was found on the cistern, to the right and left of the toilet seat and on the floor.
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"thirty-aught-six" (not verified)
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liamssoft
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at 08:42 on January 4th, 2012
Close the lid.
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"thirty-aught-six" (not verified)at 10:06 on January 4th, 2012
Not for that reason alone. Closing the lid reduces airborne E. Coli. A Mythbusters show proved that E. Coli can travel up to 35 feet from the toilet when the lid is left open when flushing.