Scientists Warning Use N95 Face Mask While Using a Public Toilet

A recent study found that people can easily contract the Covid-19 Coronavirus while using a public toilet and closed spaces such as elevators when face masks are removed.

Researchers led by Kwanrawee Sirikanchana of Chulabhorn Research Institute found that airborne transmission of Covid-19 may be increased when using public restrooms.

Researchers investigated the effects of face masks and ventilation on the risk of Covid-19 respiratory transmission in a public toilet in a paper published in the Journal of Water and Health.

The study examined scenarios where a person used a public restroom after coming into contact with a Covid-19 patient. One experiment required neither of them to wear a face mask, while the other involved both of them wearing N95 or surgical face masks.

Cough or Sneeze in Public Toilet

According to the study, without face masks, there was a 10% risk of becoming infected, but that increased to almost 100% when a person infected with Covid-19 coughed or sneezed in a toilet.

While wearing face masks, however, the risk was just 0.01%. In addition, a 10-minute wait could reduce the risk of being infected, but facial masks offered maximum protection.

Dr. Tammanitchpol Denpetkul of Mahidol University’s faculty of tropical medicine said that the Coronavirus was capable of transmitting itself through droplets the size of PM2.5 dust particles.

In his opinion, respirators (face Masks) like N95, KN95, KF94, and FFP2 give the best face masks for Coronavirus protection when using public toilets, followed by surgical masks.

It has been shown that some cloth masks do not provide adequate protection … but if someone uses an N95 mask and wears it correctly, the risk is one in 100,000,” he said.