Jet Hand Dryers, Rather Than Paper Towels, Spread More Viruses Around

Jet hand dryers may be fast dryers, but they aren't safe. A new study shows that compared to paper towels and warm dryers, jet dryers spray 1,300 times more viral plaques, which can be sent 10 feet away.

Participants were asked to dip gloved hands into solutions of the harmless virus MS2. They then shook their hands and tried out three drying methods. The experts then collected samples from the air as well as petri dishes placed in different spots around this area to inspect them for viruses.

They found that jet dryers spread viruses further than the other methods. Do their benefits outweigh their downsides, then?

It certainly looks like it! "These differences in results between the three hand-drying devices can be largely explained by their mode of drying the hands," the team said. "These differences in results between the three hand-drying devices can be largely explained by their mode of drying the hands."

Hence, jet dryers are better avoided in spots where diseases should be minimized, such as at hospitals.

Bacteria are larger than viruses and also have the potential to cause disease. It is not known how the jet dryers distribute bacteria.

Dyson, the company that designs the jet hand dryers, claimed in its defence that in the real world paper towels are covered with germs due to earlier users. In experiments such as these, participants' hands are covered with viruses much more than they would be.

Most people do not wash their hands at all.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that hand washing should take 20 seconds, along with warm water and soap. A quick rinse and then heading for the jet dryer is going to spray viruses liberally, said the company spokesman.

The findings were published in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of Applied Microbiology.