False, most diseases don’t transmit by air, so having dry hands helps more in preventing disease transmission than the supposed harm of hand dryers blowing it around.
Taylor et al47 evaluated whether hot air dryers change the levels of airborne microorganisms in the washroom environment. They found that air emitted from the dryer outlet contained fewer microorganisms than air entering the dryers. They also found that levels of microorganisms on the external surfaces of hot air dryers were not different from those on other washroom surfaces. Thus, the authors argued that hot air dryers were appropriate for use in both the health care and food industry. Similarly, Matthews and Newsom48 compared the bacteria aerosols released into the air when drying hands by using 4 different models of hot air dryers and by using paper towels. They found no difference between aerosols liberated by paper towels and 2 models of hot air dryers, whereas the other 2 models of hot air dryers generated fewer aerosols than paper towels. They concluded that hot air dryers were safe from a bacteriologic viewpoint.
I’m gonna nitpick and point out that you’re referring to the results of only one of twelve studies included in the review you linked to. From the abstract of the review:
This review found little agreement regarding the relative effectiveness of electric air dryers. However, most studies suggest that paper towels can dry hands efficiently, remove bacteria effectively, and cause less contamination of the washroom environment. From a hygiene viewpoint, paper towels are superior to electric air dryers.
Dryer compared to paper towels, I was (maybe not clearly enough) comparing using an air dryer to leaving your hands wet. The linked study seems to underline the importance of any form of drying multiple times.
The study also doesn’t seem to be as conclusive to me as you’re making it out to be. It suggests paper towels might be preferred, but it’s not like you should skip the air dryer because it multiplies bacteria and blows them all over the place.
Bacteria hardly cause illness. Most of us will not have been sick by a bacterial infection since early childhood. People avoid them for being gross - not dangerous which is very fair. Most types of urine are perfectly safe healthwise but I don’t want contact to that either.
Viruses don’t travel by air but by aerosol. If the air is heated, I can’t see how people can become sick when using them even in public spaces.
Commercial hand dryers spread disease by blowing viruses and bacteria all over the place.
It’s already my house so who cares
False, most diseases don’t transmit by air, so having dry hands helps more in preventing disease transmission than the supposed harm of hand dryers blowing it around.
They found that paper towels reduced the numbers of all types of bacteria on the hands. However, the hot air dryer increased all types of bacteria on the hands. The jet air dryer also increased most types of bacteria, but the increases were less than with the hot air dryer.
Kind of a selective reading of this paper.
I’m gonna nitpick and point out that you’re referring to the results of only one of twelve studies included in the review you linked to. From the abstract of the review:
Dryer compared to paper towels, I was (maybe not clearly enough) comparing using an air dryer to leaving your hands wet. The linked study seems to underline the importance of any form of drying multiple times.
The study also doesn’t seem to be as conclusive to me as you’re making it out to be. It suggests paper towels might be preferred, but it’s not like you should skip the air dryer because it multiplies bacteria and blows them all over the place.
Mythbusters also did an episode on it and found the same results.
Bacteria hardly cause illness. Most of us will not have been sick by a bacterial infection since early childhood. People avoid them for being gross - not dangerous which is very fair. Most types of urine are perfectly safe healthwise but I don’t want contact to that either.
Viruses don’t travel by air but by aerosol. If the air is heated, I can’t see how people can become sick when using them even in public spaces.