Hand dryers are less hygienic than paper towels. This is the result of a recent study conducted by a research team of the University of Leeds in the UK, which once again confirmed the suspicion that hand dryers can contribute to spreading germs in public restrooms. For a long time now there has been dispute about the best method of drying hands after washing. During the study, which was financed by the European Tissue Symposium, harmless bacteria were placed on the hands of volunteers, who then dried their hands, while investigators measured airborne bacteria levels.The result wasthat bacteria levels in the air around jet-air dryers were 27 times higher than around paper towel dispensers, while warm air dryers were found to be more hygienic, even though the bacteria levels in the air around them were still almost five times higher than around paper towel dispensers. A similar number of bacteria was found at a distance of one metre from the dryers.
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