You may want to consider flushing with the toilet seat down.
Research has found that toilets send large plumes of aerosol droplets flying into the air when flushed, which may be inhaled or land on other nearby surfaces, according to the New York Times.
The research, which was published Tuesday in the journal Physics of Fluids, indicated that simulations showed the plume emanating up to three feet from the toilet bowl and carrying coronavirus particles already floating in the air or those in the stool of the person who flushed. Computer simulations also showed that the water creates a vortex during flushing that displaces the air in the bowl and sends the vortex upward, expelling particles in the bowl and moving ones in the air outside of the bowl.
While not directly involved in the research, Joshua Santarpia, a professor of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said that the study is important for understanding other ways in which COVID-19 could spread.
“The aerosols generated by toilets are something that we’ve kind of known about for a while but many people have taken for granted,” Santarpia said. “This study adds a lot of the evidence that everyone needs in order to take better action.”
Although it is unclear whether toilets have been a point of viral transmission, scientists said that the coronavirus has been found to attach to cells within the small intestinal tract. While less likely to be as infectious as when coughed out, researchers have also discovered virus particles that are viable inside of fecal matter.
“It’s very alarming,” said Dr. Ji-Xiang Wang, one of the study’s co-authors who researches fluid dynamics at Yangzhou University. Wang said that there are some measures that can be taken to help prevent the aerosol plume from spreading around a bathroom.
“Close the lid first and then trigger the flushing process,” Wang said, noting that wearing a face mask and washing hands was also important.
