As a result of [there not being a lid], there's that plume that comes from the toilet that ends up on the seat, and no matter where you go, you're always going to find that about 50% of the [public restroom] toilet seats at any given time are going to have some kind of poo germs on them in the range of hundreds [of particles]," he said. Those poo particles can contain E. coli, salmonella, or even norovirus, all of which, if present in high enough concentrations, can make us sick - but not from sitting on the toilet seat.
"Make sure that you kind of get out of the stall for 30 seconds to let whatever was aerosol or the droplets to fall and then you can go back in," he said, noting that he actually does this himself. So here's the problem: If it's norovirus or some of the more really troublesome bacteria like E.coli 0157:H7, then you may actually end up getting exposed to a high enough level that it could potentially cause infection, he warned.
"So if you're gonna go for the clean or for the fresh bowl, make sure that your face is nowhere near that plume," he added.
"However, droplets in the air are a different matter altogether. That's why he says we should flush the toilet before using it to 'get a fresh' bowl and never stay in the stall after flushing."
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