While cheaptravel options, including cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages, aremaking travel affordable, airline passengers need to take steps to proactivelyensure their future health while traveling.
A website called Travelmath recently sent swab carryingmicrobiologists to five airports and onto four airlines to determine whichsurfaces held the most germs.
They found that airline back of the seat tray tables, whichhave been used for everything from eating a meal, to serving as a place to restheads, to changing diapers, are the germiest surfaces on airplanes by far. They were followed in descending order by theoverhead air vent button, the lavatory flush button, and the seat belt buckle.
Colony forming germ units (CFUs) per square inch averaged2,155 on tray tables, 285 on overhead air vent buttons, 265 on lavatory flushbuttons, and 230 on seatbelt buckles.
Because airline personnel are under increasing pressure toquickly de-board arriving flights and board departing flights to maximizeprofit, tray tables are often only cleaned at the end of the day.
At airports the microbiologists found drinking fountainbuttons and bathroom stall locks to be the dirtiest places, with 1,240 CFUs and70 CFUs per square inch respectively.
Tests conducted by the National Science Foundationdetermined that pet food bowls in homes have 306,000 CFUs per square inchcompared to home toilets with 172 CFUs and cell phone with 27.
The reality is that airports and airplanes are not any dirtierthan most homes or other public places. While airports and airplanes are cleaned regularly, there are hundredsof thousands of people moving through those spaces daily.
Experts readily acknowledge that it is impossible to avoidcoming in tact with germs on airplanes and in airports, but contend that thisis no reason to stop flying. Insteadtravelers are urged to use common sense to avoid catching a cold or the flufrom germs left behind by other travelers.
The following are steps that fliers should take to remainhealthy in when traveling, according to John Zautcke, medical director at theChicago OHare medical clinic:
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Doyour best not to touch your mouth after touching and places on planes or inairports known to have a high germ counts
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Wash yourhands regularly
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Carryhand sanitizer and use a towel to open the lavatory door
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Carrya small package of towelettes
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Use ahand sanitizer after buckling or unbuckling their seatbelts
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Wipedown tray tables before using them
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