How Much Bacteria Is On A Door Handle

Salmonella are often found in toilet bowls.

How much bacteria is on a door handle.

This study was conducted on the university campus an area which is considered fairly dense in population which many people will access these doors providing a host for the bacteria to travel elsewhere. Taps you touch them before and after you wash your hands so you are transferring germs onto taps every time. A 2000 study by scientists at the uk s aston university school of health and life sciences examined the household conditions of six families who had recently suffered from a salmonella outbreak. The survival time for bacteria is more variable.

The faucet and interior door handles had only a fraction of the bacteria found on the shower curtain or floor. After a study conducted by the worcester polytechnic institute wpi gathered that 1323 bacterial colonies were displaced among 27 door handles. One study found that starbucks door handles carried more bacteria than a new york city subway pole. That goes for door knobs too of course.

Traditional grocery store shopping carts have 361 times more bacteria than a bathroom door knob. Beth potter assistant professor of microbiology center helps students holly pier and marcelo lob test for bacteria on a door handle at penn state erie the behrend college. Some flush handles harbor as many bacteria as are found on the floor. By some scientific estimates each human hand is home to roughly 150 species of bacteria.

Flush handles generally have around 83 bacteria per square inch. Bathroom door s inside handle. On a hard non porous surface like a door handle most viruses are destroyed within 24 hours. These harmful bacteria can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea in affected persons.

A budget grocery store cart has 8 112 bacteria colonies per square inch while a toilet handle only has 30 bacteria colonies per square inch. However when those door knobs are made of brass or copper a chemical. Home office computer keyboard. Interestingly though other surfaces we touch frequently had relatively few bacteria.

On clothing or skin the survival time is roughly halved. Salmonella only lasts four hours but mrsa can last several weeks and c. Difficile has been found to survive for up to five months.