Never Do This in Public Restrooms, Says Germ Expert

“As a result of [there not being a lid], there’s that plume that comes from the toilet that ends up on the seat, and no matter where you go, you’re always going to find that about 50% of the [public restroom] toilet seats at any given time are going to have some kind of poo germs on them in the range of
hundreds [of particles],” he said.

Those poo particles can contain E. coli, salmonella, or even norovirus, all of which, if present in high enough concentrations, can make us sick — but not from sitting on the toilet seat.

“We do see potentially some low level of all sorts of different types of bacteria and viruses that could potentially cause an infection, but the reality is, unless you have a cut, then there’s really no opportunity for that to get into your skin to cause a problem,” Tetro, the author of The Germ Files and The Germ Code, explained.

However, droplets in the air are a different matter altogether. That’s why he says we should flush the toilet before using it to “get a fresh” bowl and never stay in the stall after flushing. 

“Make sure that you kind of get out of the stall for 30 seconds to let whatever was aerosol or the droplets to fall and then you can go back in,” he said, noting that he actually does this himself. 

“So here’s the problem: If it’s norovirus or some of the more really troublesome bacteria like E.coli 0157:H7, then you may actually end up getting exposed to a high enough level that it could potentially cause infection,” he warned. That’s because the droplets from the plume could land in your mouth or nose — which is even more of a danger if you’re standing in close proximity to a public restroom toilet that features an extremely powerful flusher.

“So if you’re gonna go for the clean or for the fresh bowl, make sure that your face is nowhere near that plume,” he added.

Once you’ve finished your business, don’t stick around in the stall after you’ve flushed either — unless you want to be showered by a plume of your own poo particles.

We also chatted with Tetro about the germiest part of a public restroom (spoiler: it’s not the toilet seat), what to do if there’s no soap in the bathroom, and much more.

Listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.

For more from Jason Tetro, visit his website here.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.