In public toilets, flushing isn't the only COVID-19 risk
Toilet plumes can launch germy droplets in the air. Experts share the precautions you should take before answering nature’s call in public restrooms.
Few people have the bladder fortitude to last through drinks, dinner, or long road trips without having to use the restroom. But as more restaurants, bars, and other public spaces start to re-open this summer, questions have been swirling around whether using a public toilet could become a more serious health risk in the era of COVID-19.
Such worries came to a head this week when researchers in China published a study suggesting that flushing a toilet can create a plume of coronavirus-laden particles, which are flung into the air by the watery vortex inside a toilet bowl.
While the toilet plume effect has been studied for decades in relation to other diseases, many questions remain over its role in spreading
