By Julia Zorthian, InStyle
When it comes to flying, nothing about a close proximity to
strangers and bathrooms for hours on end feels particularly clean. And
while you may not be able to make the flight shorter or the seats
bigger, you can make your experience more sanitary by avoiding some of
the dirtiest places on airplanes.
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It’s worth noting that some people may be more susceptible to getting
sick on planes because the cabin air humidity is under 20%, whereas
home humidity is generally over 30%, according to the World Health Organization.
The dry air exposure affects mucus, the immune system’s front line of
defense, leaving people marginally more vulnerable to getting sick. A
2004 study in the Journal of Environmental Health Research
found that people are far more likely—113 times more, by one of the
study’s measures—to catch the common cold during a flight than normal
ground transmission.
Humidity aside, there are a handful of especially dirty spots,
according to research and advisories from travel physicians. Here’s how
to avoid them.
Airplane tray tables
The potentially grimiest place on an airplane unfolds right into your lap.
Alarmingly, a 2015 study by TravelMath
that tested samples from hard surfaces in planes found that tray table
surfaces had more than eight times the amount of bacteria per square
inch than the lavatory flush buttons. The trays had 2,155 colony forming
units of bacteria per square inch—compared to the 127 cfu/sq. in.,
which is what the National Science Foundation says is standard for a
toilet seat at home.
[post_ads]Dr. Charles Gerba, microbiologist at the University of Arizona, tells Time that
the trays he’s tested through research have had cold viruses, human
parainfluenza viruses, norovirus (which can cause diarrhea and vomiting)
and the superbug MRSA, which causes skin infections.
The high amount of bacteria is likely linked to plane cleaning crews
not having enough time between flights to wipe down the tray tables, the
Wall Street Journal reports. And when they do get clean, those airlines may be using general cleaners instead of disinfectants.
In the meantime, to avoid eating dinner off a tray that someone piled
used tissues or changed a baby’s diaper on just hours earlier, wipe it
down with a sanitizing wipe, Dr. Michael Zimring, director of travel
medicine at Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center, tells Time. But
if you don’t feel like even touching the table (Gerba does, but Zimring
says he doesn’t bother), avoid eating food directly off the surface.
“My food will stay on a paper plate or wrapper,” adds Zimring.
2. Air vents and seatbelt buckles
Two plane features with frequent usage (that may not receive a regular cleaning) also make the list.
The air vents above each seat are great for circulating ventilated air to each passenger, but the TravelMath testing found 285 CFU/sq. in. on their dials—more bacteria than on the plane toilet flush buttons.
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The seatbelt buckles similarly had 230 FCU/sq. in., which isn’t
surprising since every passenger touches their buckle at least two times
during the flight.
Gerba recommends bringing a small bottle of hand sanitizer on the plane and using it periodically.
3. Restroom
Airplane bathrooms are cleaned regularly—United, Delta and American Airlines told the Journal that they get disinfected overnight and between long flights.
But Gerba points out that with roughly 50 people to a bathroom, they’re still an easy way to pick up an infection. He found the fecal coliform E. coli on some of the sinks, flush handles and toilet seats he tested. TravelMath found that the flush buttons had 265 CFU/sq. in. (but no fecal coliform bacteria).
“It’s hard to beat the restroom,” in terms of germiness, Gerba says,
“because the water shuts off so people can’t complete hand washing.” The
sinks are so small, he adds, that people with large hands can’t even
fit them fully underneath the faucets.
Zimring recommends using a paper towel on the door latch on the way
out, and says that’s the one precaution he never fails to take.
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4. Seatback pocket
Passengers have been known to treat the pocket on the seat in front
of them as a wastebasket, stuffing trash, dirty tissues, used diapers
and more into the pouch.
On planes with quick turnarounds on the ground, cleaning crews may not even get a chance to empty out the seat pockets, let alone disinfect the cloth. And one Auburn University in Alabama study
found that MRSA germs survive for up to 7 days on seat pocket cloth—the
longest it survives on any of the hard and soft surfaces the
researchers tested.
Drexel University Medicine only recommends one way to avoid germs in the seatback pocket: “Just don’t use them. It’s simply not worth the risk.”
5. Aisle seats
Choosing the aisle seat lets you get up whenever you feel like it, but that freedom comes with a little more risk.
The tops of aisle seats are likely harboring germs from every person
who walks by them and holds on for support, according to Zimring—and
many of those people have just come from the bathroom. So be aware of
touching the area next to the aisle headrest, and it’s probably best to
not rest your face there as you fall asleep.
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Sitting near the aisle puts passengers in the line of fire of any communicable viruses that could break out on the plane.
One study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases analyzed
a flight from Boston to L.A. that made an emergency landing due to an
outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea. The researchers found that that
people sitting in the aisle were far more likely to contract norovirus,
but there was no link between contracting it and using the bathroom.
“If you sit by the window seat you have less chance of getting sick,” Gerba confirms.
