Shocking Study Reveals Airport Security Trays Have More Germs Than Toilets

 

According to a new study  conducted at the UK’s University of Nottingham and the Finnish National  Institute for Health and Welfare, airports are crawling with germs.  

This is something can safely be assumed for any place where large groups  of people gather, but some of the specific findings were especially  disturbing. 

The study, published in the BMC Infectious Diseases journal, details  some of the most germ-filled places in airports, finding that the  plastic security trays are ground zero for the spread of germs amongst  passengers. Researchers closely monitored the Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland  during the winter of 2016, constantly testing for germs on surfaces  through the building. 

They found evidence that at least 10% of the  surfaces in the airport tested positive for viruses and germs, which is a  surprisingly low number considering the rest of the study. Some germ hotspots listed in the study were passport checking  counters, shop payment terminals, staircase rails, children’s play areas  and of course, the security area. 

Oddly enough, the restrooms in the airport were much cleaner the security areas and other parts of the building. Jonathan Van Tram, Professor of Health Protection at the University  of Nottingham, said that this is a sign that awareness about hotspot  areas can reduce the spread of germs. 

“This study supports the case for improved public awareness of  how viral infections spread. People can help to minimize contagion by  hygienic hand washing and coughing into a handkerchief, tissue or sleeve  at all times but especially in public places,” Tram says.

Niina Ikonen from the Finnish National Institute for Health and  Welfare, who also worked on the study, said that this new information  could help inspire better building design in the future. 

“The results also provide new ideas for technical improvements in airport design and refurbishment,” Ikonen said. 

As a solution to this problem, the researchers suggested that hotpots  be sanitized more often, with more opportunities available for people  to wash their hands. “Hand sanitization opportunities where intense, repeat touching  of surfaces takes place such as immediately before and after security  screening,” were suggested in the conclusion of the study. 

The security areas should receive extra special attention from the  airport staff since these are areas that passengers have no choice but  to pass through. 

Earlier this year, a number of doctors began advising that travelers change their socks  after passing through airport security because it could be very easy to  pick up fungus and viruses from steeping on the same mats that millions  of other people have stepped on without shoes. 

Dr. Michael J. Trepal, vice president for academic affairs and dean at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, “In a high-traffic area, the number of people per hour going  through a checkpoint is greater at an airport than at a health club, and  theoretically, the more you expose the skin to exogenous pathogens, the  more likely you are to be infected. In some cases, you could  realistically walk 30 to 40 feet without shoes,” Trepal said. “It just goes to good bodily hygiene, like washing your hands.  Try to minimize barefoot contact with foreign surfaces, and try to wear  socks [inside your shoes] if you want an extra level of precaution,” he added.

According to a 2015 study  published by Travelmath, you should be careful of your surroundings  once you get on the plane as well. That study found that airplanes were  filled with germs, with some of the worst areas being the tray table and  the air vents.