Many articles have been written about how dirty public bathrooms are. And a lot of studies have confirmed there are tons of germs in there. But germs aren’t necessarily the most dangerous thing in the bathroom. What about noise?
I’m not talking about the embarrassing noises that we associate with bathrooms. I’m talking about loud noise that can actually damage your hearing (at least in theory).
The Acoustical Society of America has presented research by Jeffrey Fullerton and Gladys Unger with the firm Acentech measuring sound levels from several commercial hand dryers. The Dyson Airblade came in at 85-90 dB, which is equivalent to being under a jet plane taking off 1500 feet over your head.
Another common model, the Xcelerator, put out up to 100 dB, which is like standing in front of a jackhammer.
The National institutes of Health declare that 15 minutes of exposure to 100 dB noise is damaging. While it’s unlikely that you would be in a bathroom for 15 minutes with the hand dryer going the whole time, it’s still worth noting how loud it can get in there.
One more thing: Do you know the Government agency that focuses on research into flatulence?
It’s the National Institoots of Health. Goodbye.