Worldwide Locations
Air Hygiene in Washrooms - a research update
01/04/2007
Geoff Polkinghorne, Divisional Manager of Initial Hygiene explains why public and private businesses need to heed the latest research into washrooms.
Introduction
On the 16th of November 2006 an event brought a group of specialists to Bangkok to discuss something which affects everyone but which is rarely given in-depth consideration – washrooms.
Initial Hygiene sponsored Professor Yuan-Kun Lee of the National University of Singapore to research microbiotic environments. His findings were presented to the Expo delegates and in this article I have extracted the salient lessons for INCLEAN readers.
On a macrocosmic, microcosmic and microbiological level, the research unearthed some startling results. Kiwi companies who take their staff and bottom line seriously will ignore these lessons at their peril.
Microbiotic Findings – Where Microbes Live & What Diseases They Spread
On a microbiotic level there were some fascinating findings. The main conclusion was that the microbial content of indoor air is many thousands of times higher than outdoor areas, and washrooms are the most densely populated in terms of microbial material. Keeping in mind the fact that we spend 80% of our lives indoors, it is essential to ensure that our internal environments are as hygienic as possible.
The research also found that: female washrooms are significantly more contaminated than male washrooms; the middle cubicle is more contaminated than the side ones; and airports generally have the most contamination where hospitals have the least. Plus, faecal micro-organisms can be ejected from washrooms during flushing. This is known as the “toilet cough”. The inserted graph details the localised areas which bacteria settle in washrooms.
You need only look at the diseases which originate from faeces in order to terrify yourselves into neurotically sterilising both your home and work washrooms. The list includes typhoid fever, cholera, gastroenteritis and bacillary dysentery, poliovirus, which results in paralysis and aseptic meningitis, and coxsackievirus A, which results in fever, paralysis and meningitis.
The microbial types found in washroom air are often that of the respiratory tract and of faecal origin, many of them potentially pathogenic, which means they are capable of spreading disease. These microbes are the result of human traffic, the flush design and cough, washroom ventilation and general hygiene. Airborne faecal micro-organisms settle and contaminate washrooms and the research shows that intensive, routine cleaning with disinfectants is the only method of reducing the numbers.
Bacterial Battles – the Ebb & Flow of Bacteria and How to Combat Them
The statistical evidence is persuasive. The total bacterial count for an office environment is an average of 114.7 CFU/m3. This number triples in a washroom environment to 356.6 CFU/m3.
In a study of a childcare centre it was concluded that human traffic is the major influential factor. Put simply: where there are humans there are bacteria. During the busiest part of the day, after lunch, the bacterial count was 1,995 CFU/m3. At the quietest time, the sleeping hour, the count dropped to 780. When the centre was empty the count was at a record low of 165.
Combating Contamination
So, after all of the horrors of these research results, the question is: what can be done to combat contamination?
The answer, thankfully, is simple. Hygiene: hygienically clean regularly, clean intensively and hygienically clean professionally with proven disinfectants. This is the only way to ensure the constant reduction of all bacterial and viral microbes. The research shows that a washroom with a bacterial count of 530 CFU/m3 when cleaned is more than halves to a bacterial count of 245. A secondary affect is that there is a 94.3% reduction of airborne bacteria.
The Macrocosmic Message – Local Hygiene Issues are Global Hygiene Issues
This macrocosmic message of the Toilet Expo came from Dr Urschi Eid, Acting Chair United Nation Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, who highlighted the fact that bad urban sanitation results in 6,000 children dying a day from diseases such as diarrhoea.
Within the safe borders of clean, green New Zealand, this global statistic may seem like a worrying, but nonetheless, distant problem. However, that is an inaccurate and narrow-minded perspective. The reality is that the world economy has bound us all closer together. Local hygiene issues are global hygiene issues.
Dr Urschi emphasised that what affects one affect all: “As SARS and the spread of avian flu have shown sanitation is not only about the humanitarian and public health of others – but it is also about our own health and self interest.”
The Business Imperative
A crucial observation is that a dollar spent on cleaning a washroom saves thousands of dollars in lost revenues from sickness. Founder of the World Toilet Expo, Mr Jack Sim, explained that companies and governments are finally realising that washrooms are the source of many problems which affect the bottom line of both their businesses and their communities: “A dollar invested in sanitation is worth many dollars saved in health cost, in generating tourism income, and in uplifting the quality of lives of their people.”
This is especially relevant for a nation such as New Zealand which not only prides itself on its clean, green reputation, but relies on that reputation for vast revenue streams which keep our economy buoyant.
Conclusion – Clean Washroom, Happy Staff, Healthy Bottomline
The research and the Toilet Expo revealed interesting and disquieting statistics. These are facts and stats that businesses which are serious about the health and safety of both its staff and its bottom line must take note of.
The good news is that action can be taken to combat the nebulous expansion of dangerous bacteria and viruses. Business can reduce environmentally transported diseases with simply, consistent and professional cleaning services.
The Author:
Geoff Polkinghorne, Divisional Manager of Initial Hygiene Geoff Polkinghorne is Divisional Manager of Initial Hygiene, a division of Rentokil Initial. A leading provider of washroom hygiene services, Initial Hygiene has six major branches across the North and South Islands and services a vast array of commercial and public businesses across New Zealand.
