More viruses than in the toilet Plastic boxes at airports are heavily contaminated with pathogens

Why is there a risk of plastic containers at airports??

Researchers have now discovered that plastic containers used at airports in security checks are more heavily burdened by so-called respiratory viruses than public toilets.

The scientists at the National Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Eastern Finland found in their recent research that plastic containers used in security checks at the airport are often contaminated with viruses. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "BMC Infectious Diseases".

Where did the samples come from in the study??

The study was based on the analysis of a total of 90 surface samples and four air samples collected in 2016 within three weeks at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. These samples were taken weekly at three different times of the day from different points along the typical routes of passengers, from handrails of escalators, buttons of elevators to handholds and toys in the children's play area.

Four out of eight samples of containers were contaminated with viruses

Of the samples tested, containers had the highest potential risk of virus contamination in safety checks, with four out of eight samples tested positive. Respiratory viruses detected on the containers included, for example, influenza A, rhinoviruses and the human coronavirus OC43. By comparison, the 42 samples from areas of the airport's public toilets contained no detectable respiratory viruses.

Containers at security gates support the spread of viruses

The plastic containers at security gates are used by virtually all passengers and this can prove to be particularly problematic as a dangerous pathogen with an indirect transmission mechanism poses a particularly high risk of international spread over airports. Overall, at least one respiratory virus was detected in nine surface samples, the researchers explain.

How can the risk be contained??

The authors of the study provided recommendations for controlling the spread of disease in security areas at the airport. The risk in safety areas could be reduced by offering hand sanitizing with an alcohol gel before and after the safety check and also increasing the frequency of container disinfection. Safety containers are often not routinely disinfected, the researchers emphasize. Although disinfection would not eliminate all viruses on the hands (for example, it has been proven that alcohol gels are less effective than hand washing for rhinoviruses), alcohol gels are effective in many other viruses, including influenza.

Increase in air traffic promotes the spread of dangerous viruses

According to the study, the increase in air traffic has increased the likelihood of a rapid spread of infectious diseases between countries or continents. The rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from Hong Kong to several countries in a very short time in 2003 served as an example. The results highlight the need to study the role of various traffic junctions in the transmission of respiratory viruses, including airports, ports and subway stations, say the experts. (As)