Written by | Quasimodo by the river
Proofreading | Ziv
What should a modern shopping mall have?Super-large underground parking lot:
(Image source: thehortonstandard.com)
(Image source: mydinosaurs.com)
(Image source: hkbu.edu.hk)
And bidet toilets in public restrooms?
Many people will hesitate when faced with the toilet in the public restroom (Image source: vox.com) For the previous aspects, I believe that most customers have no objections. But if a shopping mall only has a toilet installed, it is easy to attract all kinds of complaints. Going to the toilet may seem inconspicuous, but it's actually very important for people. According to the World Toilet Organization, people spend about 813 days in the toilet in their lifetime. A clean, hygienic and comfortable restroom not only keeps you feeling well, but also helps reduce the spread of disease.
Public restrooms are also an important part of the city's infrastructure (Image source: ABC News), but people have three urgency, and when they go to the mall, they have a feeling of excretion, which can only be solved nearby. However, the toilet in the mall is a public place after all, and now many shopping malls only have toilets, which may have "intimate contact" with countless buttocks, and it is impossible to achieve "one buttocks and one wipe", which is very unhygienic. According to a survey, when it comes to "Do you choose a squat toilet or a toilet when going to a public toilet?", the proportion of people who choose to squat the toilet is overwhelming.
According to the survey results, when going to public toilets, the number of people who choose to squat toilets is far greater than that of toilets (Image source: Cover News @weibo), especially for female consumers, this problem is more obvious. Men's restrooms generally have urinals that allow for the diversion of urine and urine, and the average length of time women spend in the toilet is greater than that of men. Therefore, there are especially many posts of women complaining about the bathrooms in shopping malls. So, whether the toilet in the public toilet can be used, will it be infected with infectious diseases, and how dirty is it? First of all, whether it is a toilet or a squatting toilet, the toilet in a shopping mall that is operating normally can definitely be used with confidence. In 2019, the mainland issued the "Hygiene Management Code for Public Places" (GB 37487-2019), which clearly stipulates the disinfection, sanitation and cleaning tools of public restrooms. Therefore, the maintenance of the toilets in the mall is usually in place, and the cleaning staff will clean and disinfect regularly to ensure that the sanitary conditions meet the standards.
The picture shows the toilet in Nanjing Deji Plaza, which has been rated by many people as "the most beautiful public toilet in the world" (picture source: architecturaldigest.com) is related to the "big event" of nearly 3 years in life, in fact, there are many studies at home and abroad that have conducted comparative surveys on sitting toilets and squatting toilets. In 2011, a team of researchers in Iran conducted a year-long study of 40 toilets (20 sitting toilets and 20 squatting toilets) in the area. Although there was no difference in the type of microorganisms present on the two toilets, the results showed a higher number of pathogenic bacteria on the surface of the squatting toilet.
According to the research results of the scientific team, the number of microorganisms in the squatting toilet is significantly higher than that of the toilet bowl (Image source: Role of toilet type in transmission of infections). However, the toilets on the market today are all siphon-type structures, with S-shaped pipes inside, and most of the aerosol particles will be effectively limited to a certain range. And because the human body is relatively far away from the water surface, the diffusion of aerosols is further limited. If the toilet lid is closed when flushing, the spread of germs can be further restricted. Squatting on the toilet is different. When people are in a squatting position, the nose and mouth are lower and closer to drains and sewers, so there is a greater chance of inhaling splashes and aerosols. In addition, the squatting pit does not have a lid, and when the water is flushed, the splashing water droplets and aerosols will fully diffuse into the air, so it will increase the chance of exposure to pathogens.
According to a joint report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization in 2019, at least 673 million people in the world still defecate outdoors, and the semi-open environment of squatting pits will also increase the risk of contracting the virus (Image source: Environmental Chemistry Letters) Another reason why many people resist going to the toilet is that after all, when they sit on the toilet, their buttocks will touch the toilet seat, and who knows if they will be exposed to skin diseases or sexually transmitted diseases. For sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and AIDS, the main means of transmission are sex, mother-to-child, and blood, while gonorrhea is a disease transmitted by gonorrhoea. These bacteria or viruses that cause diseases are difficult to survive once they are shed from the human environment, and the probability of transmission through the toilet is very small.
Common STDs are difficult to spread through public toilets (Image source: flickr.com) As for common pathogens like dysentery bacillus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Candida albicans, chlamydia, mycoplasma, etc., they are indeed "regulars" in public restrooms. However, most infections require exposure to a sufficiently large dose of the pathogen in the human genital or urinary organs. The cold and hard surface of the toilet seat is not suitable for pathogenic bacteria. Not to mention that the cleaning staff disinfects every few hours, which inhibits microbial growth on the toilet seat. Therefore, the toilet in the mall can be used with confidence, and it will not increase your risk of illness in public.
In fact, some other areas of public places are more alarming than toilets. Pictured is a heat map of the distribution of bacteria based on a survey by the National Institutes of Health: the darker the blue, the more bacteria there are at that location. Panel A shows skin bacteria, and panel B shows intestinal bacteria. (Image source: pexels.com) But I don't know if you have ever wondered why shopping malls now prefer to install toilets instead of squatting toilets? In addition to the above-mentioned hygiene factors, more important are economic and safety considerations. The squatting pit in the toilet must be higher than the ground level to allow enough space for the squatting toilet and pipes. Generally this height is 20-30 cm. For malls, this not only costs more materials and money, but also consumes more time from professionals. The toilet comes with its own height, which is much easier to install.
The installation of sewer pipes is a very professional project (Image source: dailycivil.com) In addition to economic factors, due to the high number of people in the mall, there are customers of all ages and mobility abilities. The toilet can take better care of the elderly, children, sick and disabled groups with limited mobility, as well as patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. If the squatting position is too long, it is easy for blood to gather in the lower body, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the brain, causing dizziness, dizziness, tinnitus, etc., and this will not occur in the toilet. Therefore, from the perspective of safety, shopping malls are also more inclined to install toilets. In fact, many people's concerns about public toilet toilets still come from psychological factors, that is, "I understand the truth, but I still can't do it". Then we can also wipe the toilet seat with wet wipes when going to the toilet, flush the toilet lid after using the toilet, and wash our hands thoroughly to minimize the hidden dangers caused by using public toilets. Finally, it must be remembered: never squat on the toilet to go to the toilet for the sake of "hygiene". This does not reduce the probability of disease transmission, but also contaminates the toilet seat and causes the next person to go to the toilet. Such behavior is also likely to cause the toilet to burst, which is dangerous to yourself.
The news of using the toilet in a squatting position and causing the toilet to burst is endless. In fact, this is not only unhygienic, but also very dangerous (Image source: wordpress.com) for oneself, civilized toileting.
Resources:
[1] Sun, S., Han, J. Open defecation and squat toilets, an overlooked risk of fecal transmission of COVID-19 and other pathogens in developing communities. Environ Chem Lett 19, 787–795 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-01143-1
[2] Rane A, Iyer J. Posture and micturition: does it really matter how a woman sits on the toilet? Int Urogynecol J. 2014 Aug; 25(8):1015-21. doi: 10.1007/s00192-013-2284-7.
[3] Li Y, Wang J X, Chen X. Can a toilet promote virus transmission? From a fluid dynamics perspective[J]. Physics of Fluids, 2020, 32(6).
[4] Flores GE, Bates ST, Knights D, Lauber CL, Stombaugh J, Knight R, et al. (2011) Microbial Biogeography of Public Restroom Surfaces. PLoS ONE 6(11): e28132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028132
[5] State Administration for Market Regulation, Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China, Hygiene Management Specification for Public Places, GB 37487-2019 [S]. Beijing:Standards Press of China,2019:3.
[6] People's Daily Online.Can you get sick when you sit on a public toilet?http://health.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0923/c21471-28735240.html
[7] Jingzhou Municipal Health Commission, can you get STDs when you sit on a public toilet http://wjw.jingzhou.gov.cn/ztzl/jksy/201506/t20150612_170960.shtml?
[8] Hardcore Kanban.Why is it always the toilet and not the squat pit in the bathroom of the mall?https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1944y1K7q7/?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0&vd_source=7ae77a212809cd9d9b8963da9f6dd326
[9] Curious Lab Official: Should I close the lid when flushing the toilet?Does I need to close the lid when I don't use it in daily life?https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15C4y1d7mX/?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0
[10] Why Toilets? World Toilet Organization.https://worldtoilet.org/
Source: Bring Science Home WeChat public account
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