Airport toilets cleaner than plane’s eating trays

Nov 04, 2018 News

Investigative correspondent swabbing TSA bin (Photo: NBC Today)

The recent quarantining of three flights due to flu-like symptoms in passengers, has led to a plethora of bacterial tests, with results that question the health safety of travelers.
Arm rests, seat belts, eating trays and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) bins were screened for bacteria along with the airport’s toilet.
The result, whilst shocking, is an indicator of the likelihood of travelers getting sick at airports.
However, when juxtaposed with the bacterial presence on the airport’s toilet seats, the airline’s eating trays outweighed this facility ten times over the safety limit.
After 19 passengers reported flu like symptoms on an Emirates flight en route from Dubai to New York, as well as the quarantining of another flight on American airlines with 12 passengers experiencing these very symptoms, bacterial swabbing was conducted at some of the most commonly used places on the airline and at the airport.
Plastic bins at security checkpoints, tray tables on the airlines, as well as seat belts and buckles were found to have dangerous levels of bacteria present; nevertheless, the TSA bins which passengers were most likely to touch, when swabbed, concluded that fecal bacteria was present. The presence of bacteria on these objects was tested with the use of a germ meter, with anything over a score of 100 being a fail; the TSA bins registered at 616.
Samples were then sent to a lab where E.Coli, Klebsillia, acinetobacter-intestinal bacteria- all of which can potentially cause someone to get sick, were found on these TSA bins. These bacteria are known to cause from eye infections to tissue infections in healthy people.
The armrests were then swabbed, registering at 429, the seat belt buckles, 589, and the tray tables 1688; the seat belts also tested positive for acinetobacter. However, the airport toilet seats registered at 32, which is below the danger level, and is an unsubstantial number compared to that of the airlines’ eating tray tables. Pathogenic bacteria- disease causing germs were found on one of the eating trays.
Studies conducted have reported that harmful bacteria such as those found to be present on the tested surfaces, are able to live longer in the confines of an airline cabin.
Moreover, travelers are being urged to carry anti-bacterial wipes and sanitizers to mitigate the likelihood of getting sick at these airports and on these airlines.
Video: https://www.today.com/4f1ebb31-6d4b-4e01-996a-64b48af83379

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