The dirtiest place in the airport turned out to be the security tray.

Where is the most bacteria in the airport? Is it a washroom, a passport check-in counter or a crowded waiting area?

Surprisingly, none of the above.

A joint research team from the University of Nottingham in the UK and the Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, which revealed that the airport security tray is the biggest culprit in the airport. .

So the next time you put your phone, passport and laptop into the security tray – perhaps the hand sanitizer is worth using.

The dirtiest place in the airport turned out to be the security tray.

Research reveal

The team monitored the bacterial levels on the surface of various objects in Helsinki’s Hanta airport in Finland during the winter of 2016.

They found evidence of the virus in 10% of all surfaces tested, which would surely make people who are clean on the trip crazy. The hot spots of other germs are the payment terminal of the store, the handrails of the stairs, the passport inspection counter, the children’s playground and – unavoidable – in the air.

There are rhinoviruses that cause a common cold, plus some signs of flu.

Surprisingly, the swab did not detect a respiratory virus on the surface of the toilet.

“This study confirms cases of how viral infections spread to raise public awareness,” Jonathan Van Tram, a professor of health protection at the University of Nottingham School of Medicine, said in a statement.

“People can wash their hands at all times through hygiene, and cover their mouths with a handkerchief, paper towel or sleeve when coughing to minimize infection, especially in public places.”

His team partner, Niina Ikonen, a virologist from the Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare, added: “The results also provide a new concept for technical improvement in the design and refurbishment of airports.”

At the end of the research paper, the team suggested that the airport could provide “hand-disinfecting opportunities in areas where severe and frequent contact surfaces occur before and after security screening”.

At the same time, the article also suggests that the security inspection tray and other surfaces that are frequently exposed should be disinfected more frequently.

Research has pointed out that touching plastic security trays is almost inevitable for travellers, unlike other places, such as we can not use the payment terminal of the airport store.

After boarding

Even if you have escaped the bacteria in the airport, previous research has shown that the cabin is the same dirty.

A research article from Travelmath reports that the small table on the seat is the first dirty, and the surface with the most germs is the vent above the head.

Of course, whether you touch these surfaces before or during your flight, there is no guarantee that you will get the virus.

the best choice? Wash your hands as much as possible and carry a bottle of trusted hand sanitizer with you.