Buzz
In this edition of Burning Questions, we delve into an unusual query: Can the awful smell left by your colleague in the bathroom lead to illness? We bring in experts to unravel the truth behind the health concerns you've secretly wondered about for years.
Here's a delicate public health question for you: If I walk into a public restroom stall and the previous occupant has left behind a strong, gas-filled odor, perhaps due to diarrhea or vomiting, is it possible to contract an illness (like the flu or another virus) from simply inhaling the air? Should I quickly switch stalls, or is it safe as long as I wash my hands and use a seat cover as usual?
A few years ago, I came down with the flu shortly after being in the stall next to a woman experiencing severe digestive distress. I've always wondered if I caught the illness from inhaling airborne contaminants.
A curious mind (especially during this tough flu season) seeks some answers?
Best regards,
From the depths of Troubled Toilet-ville
Firstly, Troubled in Toilet-ville, I'm quite amused that you've chosen a nickname for yourself, though I’m less thrilled about referring to you as TIT. Perhaps TITV would work? What do you think about TITV?
As for that cloud of smelly, gaseous air, it's a well-established fact that smells themselves don't make people ill. Or at least, that's the common belief today. However, just a century or two ago, it was thought that bad smells were responsible for causing diseases, which somewhat makes sense because foul odors often come from disease-carrying sources like feces or decaying bodies. Back then, people believed you could protect yourself from illness by inhaling perfume or vinegar while walking through streets littered with waste.
Times have certainly changed. We now understand that the flu is caused by a virus, for example, and it spreads primarily through droplets from coughing and sneezing. Other stomach-related illnesses, like diarrhea, are caused by germs as well, including norovirus and the bacterium Clostridium difficile, to name just a few.
But, TITV, you’re not in Victorian London. You know that illnesses are caused by germs, and you’re wondering if enough of them could be airborne to make you sick. So, I reached out to Dr. Lisa Maragakis, the senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, for clarification.
“It’s not a silly question,” she says. (Phew!) “In fact, it's a topic currently being researched in infection prevention.”
Bacteria and viruses that cause diarrhea are known to spread through droplets that are released into the air, either landing directly on you or settling on surfaces that you later touch. However, there is some evidence to suggest that they can also travel through tiny droplets that remain suspended in the air for a brief period.
A striking example of this comes from the 2003 SARS outbreak in a Hong Kong apartment complex. Faulty plumbing and ventilation contributed to the spread of aerosolized bacteria from one bathroom to another. This is not the typical way the flu spreads, nor is the flu as contagious as SARS. However, this case does demonstrate that airborne transmission is a possibility.
That said, your likelihood of catching the flu from a cloud of aerosolized fecal particles is likely much lower than the odds of catching it by touching a handrail, doorknob, or standing next to someone at the bus stop who suddenly sneezes on you. On the positive side, Maragakis points out that someone suffering from actual influenza severe enough to cause explosive diarrhea is more likely to be at home than out in public, contaminating restrooms. Additionally, there are many reasons a person could experience diarrhea—or as she kindly refers to it, 'GI distress'—that aren't contagious.
Your chances of catching the flu this way are pretty slim, TITV. However, I made sure to ask Dr. Maragakis for the definitive answer: how concerned should you be if the person in the stall next to you has a bad case of the splatters? She advises: “If there’s an opportunity to exit the bathroom or position yourself on the other side, that’s what I would recommend.”
That wraps up this edition of Burning Questions. I’m eager to hear what other strange and fascinating health questions you have, so feel free to send them my way at [email protected] (please include BURNING QUESTION in the subject). You can also submit them anonymously via bethskw.sarahah.com. Bonus points if you come up with a witty nickname! And until next time, please try to avoid creating diarrhea clouds in public restrooms whenever possible.
