Gloves are dirtier than toilet seats...Pollution is up to 18 times higher
Feb 11, 2025
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According to the British media Daily Mail, the British cleaning and toilet facilities company 'Initial Washroom Highzin' examined the extent of bacterial contamination of 50 pairs of gloves.
The tests were conducted on a variety of gloves, including wool, leather, suede, thumb gloves (aka mittens) and cycling gloves.
The company used an ATP bioluminescence tester, which measures the amount of adenosine triphosphate, a molecule found inside and outside living cells on certain surfaces, indicating cleanliness levels.
The pollution level is indicated as RLU (Relative Light Unit). This is a unit of measuring the concentration of organic compounds on an object, and the more contaminated it is, the higher the value.
Investigations showed that more than half of the gloves had a high level of contamination of more than 500RLU. Some have exceeded 4000RLU.
In one study published in 2012, the average contamination level of toilet seats was approximately 220RLU. The normal contamination range is considered to be between 200 and 500 RLU.
A company official who conducted the study said "It should be remembered that gloves can encounter a number of potential contamination points on public transport, from holding handles, opening doors, using phones or carrying shopping bags."The inside of gloves can be contaminated if you wear them with unwashed hands," he stressed.
He also suggested that gloves should be washed regularly.
He said 80% of infections are transmitted through the hands, and simply washing your hands can prevent the spread of the virus.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
