Jet hand dryers spread dangerous bacteria around bathrooms and are significantly less hygienic than traditional paper towels, scientists have found.科研人员日前找到，喷气式烘手机会在卫生间内传播危险性的细菌，公共卫生程度近高于传统的纸巾。An international study in hospitals established that modern dryers create an aerosol effect, blasting E. Coli as well as traces of faeces and the bacteria responsible for septicaemia onto surfaces.一项在医院内展开的国际研究证实，现代烘手机会产生一种雾化效果，将大肠杆菌、微量排泄物和引起败血症的细菌刮起到物品表面上。While the devices can often be activated without being touched, which is supposed to improve hygiene, they are problematic because people fail to properly wash their hands, the experts said.专家称之为，虽然这种设备一般来说可以不必手触碰之后自行启动--这本不应提升公共卫生度--但由于人们没以合理的方式洗澡，这些设备还是不会带给问题。

This leaves harmful bacteria on the surface of the skin ready to be blown around the room.不以合理的方式洗澡不会在皮肤表面留给危害细菌，它们不会被刮起房间各处。By contrast, paper towels absorb the bugs better, preventing other people from becoming exposed to them.相比之下，纸巾能更佳地吸取细菌，防止其他人受到污染。Published in the Journal of Hospital Infection, the study, the largest of its kind, was partly carried out at Leeds General Infirmary.该研究公开发表在英国《医院病毒感染杂志》上，是同类研究中规模仅次于的，部分研究工作是在利兹综合医院展开的。

Department of Health guidance says air dryers should only be placed in public rather than clinical areas of the hospital, but only because of concerns around the noise.卫生部指导称之为，烘手机应该只摆放在公共场所而不是医院的临床区域，但这样做到意味着是因为担忧噪音。The study authors wrote the rules on the use of jet dryers need to be strengthened on the in the light of the new evidence.这项研究的作者写到，根据新的证据，用于烘手机的规则必须强化。

The problem starts because some people do not wash their hands properly, said Professor Mark Wilcox, who led the study at the University of Leeds. When people use a jet air dryer, the microbes get blown off and spread around the toilet room.研究带头人、利兹大学的马克·威尔科克斯教授说道：“不会经常出现这一问题是因为人们不只想洗澡。当人们用于喷气式烘手机时，微生物被刮起回头，笼罩到卫生间各处。”In effect, the dryer creates an aerosol that contaminates the toilet room, including the dryer itself and potentially the sinks, floor and other surfaces, depending on the dryer design and where it is sited. If people touch those surfaces, they risk becoming contaminated by bacteria or viruses.“事实上，烘手机会产生一种喷雾，污染卫生间各处，还包括烘手机本身以及水池、地板和其他表面，这各不相同烘手机的设计和放置方位。如果人们认识这些表面，他们可能会被细菌或病毒污染。

”The study looked at bacterial spread in a real world setting -- in two toilets in each of three hospitals, which were in the UK, France and Italy.这项研究分析了真实世界中的细菌传播场景--科研人员在三家医院各自由选择了两间卫生间，这三家医院分别坐落于英国、法国和意大利。Each of the toilets had paper towel dispensers and jet air dryers, but only one of these was in use on any given day.每个卫生间都有纸巾取器和喷气式烘手机，但在特定的一天只有一台设备能用。On each day, over 12 weeks, levels of bacterial contamination in the toilets were measured, allowing comparisons to be made when either paper towels or jet air dryers were in use.在多达12周的试验期内，每一天，科研人员都会测量卫生间内细菌污染水平，将用于纸巾和用于喷气式烘手机的情况展开对比。

Samples were taken from the floors, air and surfaces in each of the toilets. The main target bacteria were Enterobacteria including Escherichia coli or E.coli, which cause a wide range of infections including gastroenteritis, pneumonia and septicaemia, and enterococci -- bacteria that can cause difficulty when treating infections.科研人员从每个卫生间的地板、空气和物品表面采样。他们射击的细菌主要是还包括大肠杆菌（它们不会引起普遍的病毒感染，还包括肠胃炎、肺炎和败血症等）和肠球菌（有这种细菌不存在之后很难化疗病毒感染）在内的肠细菌。

They also looked for Staphylococcus aureus, which is responsible for a range of conditions, from minor skin and wound infections to life-threatening septicaemia.科研人员还企图找寻金黄色葡萄球菌，该细菌不会引起一系列疾病，还包括较严重的皮肤和伤口感染和严重威胁生命的败血症。Across the three hospitals, bacterial counts were significantly higher in the toilets on the days that jet air dryers were in use.在三家医院中，卫生间的细菌数在用于喷气式烘手机时都显著要多一些。We found multiple examples of greater bacterial contamination on surfaces, including by faecal and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, when jet air dryers rather than paper towels were in use, Professor Wilcox said.威尔科克斯教授回应：“我们找到许多在用于喷气式烘手机时表面细菌污染更加相当严重的例子，还包括肠球菌和多重抗药性细菌，显著比用于纸巾时多。

本文来源：多彩网-www.mindprobelabs.com