Aerosols and Bacteria From Hand Washing and Drying in Indoor Air.

ABSTRACT: Effective hand drying is an important part of hand hygiene that can reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission through cross-contamination of surfaces by wet hands. However, hand drying methods may also cause aerosolisation of pathogenic microorganisms if they are present in washed hands. This study investigated experimentally the impact of washing hands and different hand drying methods on the concentration and size distribution of aerosols and bacteria in indoor air. In this experiment, aerosol and bacteria concentrations were measured in indoor air while volunteers rinsed their hands with water or washed with soap and water prior to drying them with paper towels or jet air dryers. Results showed that the concentration of aerosols and bacteria in air increased with people walking

SUBMITTER: Giao MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8858938 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature