Indeed, in a global hygiene study5 in July 2020, Dyson examined how attitudes towards the washroom and general hand hygiene have changed since COVID-19 started. The study revealed that poorly maintained washrooms caused people concern, with 43% worrying about having to press buttons on hand dryers to use them. 57% of those surveyed selected touchless activation of a hand dryer as one of the features that would put their mind at ease if using a hand dryer and a further 43% stated that hand dryers with filters, which clean the air would also make them feel more confident when drying their hands with a hand dryer.
So, in response to that and this renewed vigor around hygiene, Dyson also commissioned research with an independent laboratory into different drying methods after rinsing hands or properly washing hands and examined the question of aerosolization, which became a topic of discussion at the beginning of the pandemic. After thorough peer review, the findings have been published in scientific journal Frontiers in Public Health titled 'Aerosols and bacteria from hand washing and drying in indoor air.'
What is Aerosolization? Aerosolization is the emission or creation of liquid or solid particles, or a mix of both that are suspended in air. Depending on the size and other factors they will stay longer in the air or will settle quicker. For example, 10 microns aerosols could take a few minutes to settle while aerosols smaller than 0.3 microns might never settle. The time of settling increases with the decrease of the size of the aerosol.
The new research supports that Dyson Airblade™ technology is a safe and hygienic washroom solution, especially compared to paper towels giving employers and employees assurance that a Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer is a hygienic washroom essential at a time when returning to the workplace is a concern for many.
“We know damp hands can transfer up to 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands” 6, says Salome Giao, Senior Researcher at Dyson. “We wanted to ensure that people are washing and drying their hands properly and dispel any myths around aerosolization and hand dryers,” she explains. “Not having a drying option in a washroom due to misinformation can increase the spread of germs and is ultimately unhygienic,” she adds.
Find the full findings published in scientific journal Frontiers in Public Health here.
In 2022, this research was independently peer-reviewed and published in the scientific journal Frontiers of Public Health. The article is available here.