I’m a doctor… the crucial reason why you should always close the toilet lid before flushing
DO you ever flush the toilet while you are sitting on the loo?
A doctor has revealed the gross reason why you should avoid doing this, and why she advises you to also close the lid as you flush too.
Dr Joyce, who posts under @teawithmd, uploaded a clip saying: “Faecal bacteria can shoot up SURPRISINGLY high and fast!
“Please do not flush while sitting on the toilet and do the simple act of closing the lid.”
She said she loves it when patients tell her that they follow her advice and shut the lid, and also keep their toothbrush in a “separate enclosed space.”
Last year a video circulated which highlighted the importance of this advice.
Scientists said there is an invisible ‘plume’ which can spread – that carries potentially deadly germs in the air.
They said that this can be a health hazard for whoever uses the loo after the person had a number two.
The US research team used bright green lasers and cameras to reveal for the first time how they are rapidly ejected from a lidless public cubicle.
Lead author Professor John Crimaldi said: “If it’s something you can’t see, it’s easy to pretend it doesn’t exist.
“But once you see these videos, you’re never going to think about a toilet flush the same way again.
“By making dramatic visual images of this process, our study can play an important role in public health messaging.”
The experts from the University of Colorado, found the poo and pee particles that shoot out of the loo when you flush carry deadly bacteria such as E. coli.
The invisible droplets also carry viruses found in poop, including Covid-19.
When propelled by the force of a flush the dangerous particles can travel the height of a fridge in under a second – exposing anyone who is standing above to a host of nasty bugs.
The droplets can also linger in the toilet after several flushes, leaving toilet users at increased risk of inhaling a deadly germ.
The disconcerting results, published in the Journal Scientific Reports, also shed light how the smaller particles can escape nose hairs and reach deeper into one’s lungs – making them more dangerous to humans.