25 October 2011
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Reading on the lavatory can damage your health
A 2009 survey by Ron Shaoul, a doctor specialising in paediatric gastroenterology, investigates the health risks of reading on the loo ...
A 2009 survey by Ron Shaoul, a doctor specialising in paediatric gastroenterology, investigates the health risks of reading on the loo
Our attention has been drawn to Shaoul's survey by a blog on The Guardian's website, which is illustrated by a toilet-reader armed with a copy of the broadsheet.
The survey, based on 499 questionnaires, began when Shaoul noticed the lack of scientific writing on the subject. The conclusion was that the risks to lav-readers were low. The Guardian blog, though, includes the results of a survey carried out by Val Curtis of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. That says that although microbes can't survive for long on absorbent surfaces (such as paper), they can last for hours on shiny plastic surfaces like those of Kindles, smartphones and iPads.
Could do with an app that does virtual handwashing.
Our attention has been drawn to Shaoul's survey by a blog on The Guardian's website, which is illustrated by a toilet-reader armed with a copy of the broadsheet.
The survey, based on 499 questionnaires, began when Shaoul noticed the lack of scientific writing on the subject. The conclusion was that the risks to lav-readers were low. The Guardian blog, though, includes the results of a survey carried out by Val Curtis of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. That says that although microbes can't survive for long on absorbent surfaces (such as paper), they can last for hours on shiny plastic surfaces like those of Kindles, smartphones and iPads.
Could do with an app that does virtual handwashing.
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