TORONTO - If you skip the sink after going to the bathroom, you really might want to think again.
A new study shows bacteria are plentiful on virtually every bathroom surface you might imagine touching — toilet handles, stall doors, soap and towel dispensers and washroom doors.
The research, done at the University of Colorado, shows the type of bacteria found on various surfaces correlates with the type of body part the surface came in contact with.
So bugs that are normally found on skin were found on surfaces that were touched and microbes normally found in soil were present on the washroom floors, probably because they came in on shoes.
But the types of bacteria that live in the human gut were found on toilet seats and handles and even, in some cases, on the handle of the door leaving the bathroom.
Lead author Gilberto Flores says it shows not everyone is washing their hands after using the bathroom, which is another reason why you might want to.
© The Canadian Press, 2011
Read it on Global News: Global News | Bathroom surfaces full of germs, study finds
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