Combating the ‘sneeze effect’

 As managing director Nick McGrellis explains, the company believes its new SafeFlush seat could prove an invaluable ally within healthcare facility toilets and bathrooms as part of the concerted drive against hospital-acquired infection.

 The outbreak of the highly infectious norovirus winter vomiting bug affected an estimated 2.8 million people at the end of last year. Hospitals were on red alert, and hundreds of wards were shut up and down the country. Strict hygiene measures were put in place, including intensive handwashing and deep cleaning of the wards, but this was just the latest “bug” outbreak to hit the headlines and add to the public’s lacklustre feeling about NHS hygiene standards. Hospitals are continually under the microscope to ensure that they keep these types of outbreak under control. Of course handwashing and a high standard of personal hygiene are the best ways to combat the continual battle against disease, but when you consider that 50% of men and 25% of women don’t wash their hands after using the toilet, can we really rely on public fastidiousness alone? What is more, if the surfaces of a bathroom, including the door handle, are contaminated, is handwashing alone really enough anyway? Concerns over bathroom hygiene are particularly heightened in hospitals, with many patients at special risk because their immune systems are weak. Others will have had a procedure that, while in some cases may have saved their life, may also have increased their risk of infection. It is especially important to prevent infections in these groups, and specifiers, such as estates and facilities personnel, of hospital furniture, fixtures and fittings that come into regular patient contact need to try to stop microorganisms in their tracks. The ‘sneeze effect’ One of the major sources of potential spread of bacteria is the WC. Enter into the mix the prevailing damp environment found in toilets, high usage by staff, patients, and visitors, and the warm air dryers used for drying hands, and pathogens feel very much at home. The so-called “sneeze” effect is a recently recognised phenomenon which occurs when a toilet is flushed. The water swirls through the system, picking up any uric or faecal residue on the way. The untreated residue often contains bacteria, and when this residue is launched into the atmosphere, it propels the bacteria onto surfaces such as the flush handle, basin, taps and tiles. It can also easily be inhaled. Much like an aerosol spray, these bacteria can be spread throughout the bathroom up to a distance of 2 m from the toilet – effectively up to ceiling height. The facts of the matter are that some types of Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter bacteria can survive for eight days inside a toilet, and during normal use toilets create a biofilm above and below the water line.

Rentokil research