Are you ready to go to bed now, or perhaps you're ready to go somewhere? Then, most probably you've already gone to the bathroom and brushed your teeth. Well, guess what, there's something you need to know about your brush, and it isn't the most pleasant thing.
Based on a recent study, your toothbrush may actually have some traces of poo in it.
The American Society for Microbiology has just released a report stating that as long as your toothbrush is in the bathroom, the likelihood of it being contaminated with fecal matter is very high.
The researchers were able to come up with these findings after they analyzed hundreds of toothbrushes from the resident students of Connecticut's Quinnipiac University. In this environment, a bathroom becomes communal, and in their case, at least 9 people share one. Thus, it's very easy for toothbrushes to be contaminated. In fact, around 60% of the toothbrush samples have traces in them.
If you're wondering why this happens, the researchers explained that it has something to do with dirty water vapor. When you flush a toilet, a part of the water actually goes up, carrying along with it the dirty matter. Most definitely you haven't noticed because they can be extremely small particles.
The problem is once the dirty water has already been released, it takes some time before the particles starts to settle, and given their smallness, they can really travel to other places other than back to the toilet bowl.
If that isn't enough bad news, the researchers also revealed that covering your brush doesn't prevent contamination but instead worsens the condition since the moist environment it creates allows for the bacteria and viruses to thrive.
But there's some consolation. Although the researchers haven't figured out a way to truly protect our toothbrushes, you are less likely to get sick from the fecal matter if you're using the bathroom on your own. Sharing it means it can be contaminated by other people's wastes, which may contain microorganisms that are not compatible of your own microbiome.
