Hospital elevator button called bacterial hotspot

Study says hospital elevator buttons were dirtier than toilet surfaces

July 16, 2014

Steve Rusell/Toronto Star

A new study in the journal Open Medicine has revealed that hospital elevator buttons were dirtier than toilet surfaces, according to an article on the Vox website.

The research, conducted by three physicians, compared the amounts of bacteria living on 120 elevator buttons and 96 toilet surfaces at three hospitals in Toronto, Ontario.

The prevalence of bacteria on elevator buttons was 61 percent. On the toilets, it was 43 percent.

However, the kinds of bacteria the researchers found are unlikely to make people sick, the article said.

The researchers suggested placing alcohol-based hand sanitizers outside elevators, enlarge elevator buttons so that people can use their elbows to push them or make the elevator experience touchless.

Read the article.

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Topic Area: Environmental Services