Most of us are used to using the hand dryers (干手器) in public restrooms. They're surely very convenient- all we need to do is to hold up our hands for a few seconds until they're dry. And more importantly, they should be safe. However, a new study found that hand dryers actually spread more dangerous bacteria(细菌).
In the study, experts chose three hospitals in total, which were in the UK, France and Italy. They were required to provide both hand dryers and paper towels (纸抽) for people to use. Two restrooms (men's and women's) are in each hospital.
The scientists found that when only the hand dryer was available, the amount (数量) of bacteria in the restrooms was 27 times higher than on other days. According to the study leader Mark Wilcox, at Leeds University, UK, hand dryers spread harmful bacteria all over the room. This means that if people use these dryers, it's probable for them to pick up more bacteria.
"The reason is because some people do not wash their hands properly," Wilcox said. In other words, poor hand -washing causes a large amount of bacteria to be left on your hands. And through the hand dryer, it will spread more in the toilet.
