Coronavirus: Pathogens Linger in Toilet for Hours if you Flush Without Closing lid

I have the flu. No its not Coronavirus. I had a fever of 103, uncontrollable chills and entire body pain. No cough, no sneeze and no shortness of breath. I went through the drenching night sweats last night I was tested at the doctors office yesterday and they prescribed a CDC approved prescription of a knock out that will kill it out quicker and make me less contagious sooner rather than the full seven days from onset. It only works if you start it within 48 hours of onset.

I also went on a Scrubbing Bubbles Jihad.

What did I learn. Soap is good. Soap will generally kill the flu virus. The virus can live for 48 hours on any surface that I either coughed or sneezed on. Assuming I coughed using my hand to suppress it and then I touch a light switch or towel with that hand. Well there you go. Its possible that it could be transferred to the switch. Hence the use of hand soap and Scrubbing Bubbles.

Now I was tooling around on a Hong Kong web site and a story about Toilets comes up. Well I don't know about you but I owned dogs for years and they loved to drink from the toilet bowls. Then they love to slobber all over you like Allstate's Mayhem on Tina Faye but worse. Yep fully asleep and at 5:30AM Kelly, my English Setter has to take her morning dump so to wake me up she licks my face and lips.

Well I had enough of that. I simply started putting the lid down. That was years ago. So here comes a guy who not only puts the seat down for the ladies but the lid as well. So read this story and think about it. At this point in history I would trust any story written for the people over there that was written to protect of all things' people.

And some may still sneak through even if it is down

A toilet flush can release up to 80,000 polluted droplets and leave them suspended a metre in the air for hours if the lid is left up, a new study has found. The findings, released by City University’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering on Thursday, also revealed smaller bacteria are even more likely to become airborne and transmitted into the surrounding area via droplets produced in flushing. Smaller agents still, such as the deadly coronavirus now confronting Hong Kong , may also spread through the water particles.

a reply to: Waterglass

Anyone who doesn't close the lid before flushing is an absolute minger, in my very British opinion,

Lol

You realise that even when you close the lid those particles still come out? There are gaps between the bowl, seat and lid that the particles eject sideways out of if they cannot eject upwards.

So does the smell

a reply to: Waterglass


First, I hope you recover quickly.

Second, Scrubbing bubbles Jihad, and the Allstate reference are hilarious. Thank you for the laugh in this scary time.

Alcohol and bleach are great cleaners, I keep an alcohol spray bottle in my bathroom, and bleach in the kitchen and bathroom.

Cups aren’t always safe either. I awoke a week ago to my cat drinking my water out of my teacup while standing over my head to get to it; and she has several water bowlS 😂

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Have a bag of crisps on me

originally posted by: DeadElf
You realise that even when you close the lid those particles still come out? There are gaps between the bowl, seat and lid that the particles eject sideways out of if they cannot eject upwards.

Risk mitigation; fewer pathogen laced droplets are better than lots of pathogen laced droplets; Common sense right there.

🤷🏻‍♂️

a reply to: Waterglass

Nah, I'm good, cheers 😂

a reply to: DeadElf

Yes you are correct but I didn't want to go log winded on the thread. Well speaking of long winded did you read what they wrote about use of the bathroom fan? So when ole 400 pound aunt Bertha leaves the throne and uses stick matches. Well I guess that doesn't cut it anymore as that stuff is in the air. Pew

a reply to: KTemplar

I try to keep it light. If you can laugh and laugh at yourself you will live longer. Thanks for your additional information on cups and the cat as we have one. He owns the place. Basically anything I touch is susceptible to me also as my resistance is lowered. All in all it begins with washing hands and containing a cough or sneeze. Bleach mixture is excellent. Our cat has two poop palaces but only one water bowl. He gets snacks three times a week for adult hairball control and three crash pads located throughout the home. Plus living in the South he has 24 / 7 entertainment as in Bugs are us. The trouble is that any bug that gets inside the home is already poisoned. So if he eats one well, he will blow his chow about 20 minutes later.

The cycle repeats weekly.

a reply to: lakenheath24

You are right on! Airborne bio hazard until vented into the atmosphere for dissipation.

a reply to: Waterglass
While closing the lid is something we have always done, I wonder if Hong Kong used plumbing traps.

We know China and other places does not, at least not universally.

In your research, did you find whether or not fabric is a Germ magnet???

So you are denying that you have the corona virus....meaning you are covering up something so you do not have to spend a week in a dumpy detention center. The doctor is in on it, how much did you bribe him to say it was not from that crappy corona beer?

Oh, forgot to say....get well soon, we can't have you sick and not starting threads here.

originally posted by: MerkabaTribeEntity
a reply to: Waterglass

Anyone who doesn't close the lid before flushing is an absolute minger, in my very British opinion,

Lol

I m with you here. Minger. Mong. Pleb. Langer.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Excellent point, I don't know about the traps. Because if they don't use them the sewer gas will just renter the homes, businesses etc. It would cause contamination by airborne particulates in the air. It would also present a methane gas issue. When I stayed over there they had westernized toilets and the air was clean and pure. Those toilets had a trap along with the sink and shower. But I stayed in a westernized hotel so I don't know.

did you find whether or not fabric is a term magne

I am going to assume "term" is "germ"

Yes, under these circumstances. If you have the flu you are basically contagious for up to seven days from onset. If you cough or sneeze without covering your mouth the germs can travel up to six feet. So if you cough over anything fabric such as a sofa, bed or rug. The virus can live up to 48 hours.

Now, lets talk about general breathing. We outgass:

The average human exhales about 2.3 pounds of carbon dioxide on an average day. (The exact quantity depends on your activity level—a person engaged in vigorous exercise produces up to eight times as much CO2 as his sedentary brethren.)Aug 13, 200

All of that is 2.3 pounds of water vapor that contains the virus. That's why you see everyone wearing a mask in China. I wore a mask at the Doctors office yesterday. They are not fun and are uncomfortable. They heat up and get full of moisture in minutes. So I will surmise that just my basic breathing is releasing germs also. To what concentration I do not know. What I do know is that if Corona becomes a Pandemic here in the USA I will waer a mask. I may also buy a professional bio hazard mask.

'Just breathing' is enough to spread flu

Flu spreads without coughing, sneezing
The samples of exhaled breath included samples taken during natural breathing, spontaneous coughs, and sneezes. ... This suggests that normal breathing is a considerable contributor to aerosol shedding of flu virus through exhaled breath.Jan 22, 2018

a reply to: rickymouse

Deny what? You think I went there to evade detection? In went there to make sure I didn't have it. Bribes? As of today there are NO confirmed cases of Coronavirus in South Carolina. Hay they have my address so the men in the white vans or black SUV's can always show up and take me away. But that wont happen as this is what they are doing next door.

200 people in Georgia self-monitoring for coronavirus

That's right; self-monitoring-for-coronavirus. Do it yourself at home!

a reply to: Waterglass

Yes, I Am guessing they do a better plumbing job in westernized accommodations.
Yes, I meant germs....and corrected.

I was just wondering the viability of germs on fabric.
Versus counter surfaces, etc.

Thanks for the additional info....and feel better soon.

BTW, are you saying THEY gave you a mask to wear? In the US???

Another reason to NOT use public toilets, as most do not have lids.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

They "told" me in a nice way to put on a mask when I arrived. Not knowing what I had I had no issue as I am not there to cause them harm.

They had a stack of over 20 masks on the counter. However none of the [5] girls working the counter were wearing masks. Plus one said she had the flu last week!

All doctors and nurses wore masks. My doctor said that this is the worst he has ever seen it in his lifetime as 100's are getting the flu. Another nurse who took my blood pressure said she had the flu last week .

BTW, are you saying THEY gave you a mask to wear? In the US???

Yes. Ever since I moved here in 2017 they always had masks on hand

On a side bar. my wife and I have extensive allergies that trigger an asthma condition. My doctor recommended that I have installed a whole home air cleaner system if I can afford one. I found this one which also removes virus:

Whole Home air cleaner from Trane

I am not pushing the above but to date is the only one with the asthma and allergy friendly certificate

originally posted by: Waterglass
a reply to: rickymouse

Deny what? You think I went there to evade detection? In went there to make sure I didn't have it. Bribes? As of today there are NO confirmed cases of Coronavirus in South Carolina. Hay they have my address so the men in the white vans or black SUV's can always show up and take me away. But that wont happen as this is what they are doing next door.

200 people in Georgia self-monitoring for coronavirus

That's right; self-monitoring-for-coronavirus. Do it yourself at home!

Didn't the little smiley guy with his tongue out signal a joke? Maybe I need to understand using those guys better.

I know, you are sick with the flu and a little under the gun right now.

I hate the flu, I had it when they gave me the epilepsy drugs a few times, one of the meds actually dampened my immune system identifying the threat and I had a severe case of it, I actually coughed so hard that I cracked two ribs loose at my back .

Is the flu one of the ones covered under the vaccine? Or is it some other kind of influenza.