Hand dryers spread bacteria, affect health on campus

The University of South Dakota regularly updates and remodels buildings across campus, such as Old Main and the new Sanford Coyote Sports Center. But in the administration’s fervor, the next remodel should start in the bathrooms.

The debate between jet-dryers and paper towels is a heated one. Although students and faculty may overlook the issue, the hygienic staple affects everybody’s daily routines. And the results could have far-reaching health implications.

The majority of USD’s bathrooms only contain air-blowing hand dryers. Many buildings still house outdated warm-air blowers, while the newer facilities are home to the updated Dyson versions. From an environmental standpoint, installing hand dryers saves on waste and buying paper towels. Sustainability research shows that hand dryers cause much lower carbon dioxide emissions per use compared to paper towels. In this regard, the benefits of hand dryers are obvious.

Washing and drying hands is a healthful necessity; however, the blow-dry method of hand drying is not only slow, but it may spread bacteria significantly more than old-fashioned paper towels.

Research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology shows that Dyson jet-air dryers spread bacteria as much as 1,300 times more than paper towels. These numbers are much greater than previous warm-air dryer models. Not only do hand dryers require plenty of electricity to run, but the resulting hot air is a breeding ground for bacteria growth.

Beyond hand drying, as daily schedules become busier, many students and professors still attend classes even while sick. These situations lead to the inevitable spread of disease starting in the warm, damp university restrooms.

According to a study by the Rochester Institute of Technology, the Dyson jet-dryers are significantly cheaper to run and maintain than paper towels. USD, in its attempts to save money, may be putting students’ and faculty’s health at risk. This risk leads to financial burdens for sick people as they then struggle to pay for medicine and medical appointments.

This same study by RIT shows the disinterest in using jet-dryers by faculty and students. People of all ages say they prefer to use paper towels. The time it takes to dry hands using any model hand dryer versus paper towels does not coincide well with time between classes. The resulting scene is a line of people with wet hands, impatiently waiting for a free hand dryer or skipping the step entirely. With this lack of time and not wanting to have wet hands, many students prefer to just not wash their hands at all.

By saving time in the short-run, the implicit health effects of the long term are more detrimental than either realize. While the jet-dry blowers do cause the spread of germs throughout the bathroom, the bacteria on unwashed hands is much, much worse.

Regardless of the intentions of the university, administration, faculty and students should agree that hand washing is the first step to prevent contamination. How those on campus choose to dry their hands is another matter.