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A simple gesture like pulling the chain of the toilet can become something much more dangerous, according to a new study of the University of Yangzhou , in China . The findings, published this week in the journal “Physics of Fluids”, detailed the download you can create a cloud of microscopic droplets over the cup containing a virus in such a quantity that it is possible that it can spread it to other people.
recent Studies show that the new coronavirus you can survive in the human digestive tract and appearing on stools of the infected. For this reason, increases the possibility of the spread of disease from the use of toilets. Not only a bad hygiene can be the cause of the spread of the virus, but also the turbulence that is created after the download and that is still a field of little study in science.
In particular, this study used computer models needed to simulate the flows of water and air in a toilet and the cloud of drops resulting after pulling the chain. The researchers used a standard set of dynamic formulas of fluid, known as the Navier-Stokes equations , in order to simulate the discharge in two types of toilets: one with a single entry for download and the other two, which creates a rotational flow.
amazing Results
When water is poured into the toilet bowl, on the one hand, hits the opposite side, creating vortexes of air . This stream rises on the cup, carrying with it particles to a height of almost a meter. There can be inhaled or deposited on surfaces and, in addition, are so small that they float in the air for more than a minute . A toilet with two input ports for water generates a even faster of aerosol particles that flow upward, so that it would increase the “cloud” even more.
“it can Be expected that the speed will be even greater when a toilet is used frequently, as in the case of a toilet for a family or a public one in a densely populated area,” explains Ji-Xiang Wang, a scientist at the University of Yangzhou and co-author of the article.
Left: the vortex caused by redness cancel common. Right: propagation of large-scale viral particles after washing – J.-X. Wang
The simulations show that nearly 60% of the particles ejected soar above the cup in a toilet with two input ports. A solution to this problem is to simply close the lid before flushing the toilet, as this should reduce the spread of aerosols.
however, in many countries, including the united States, the toilets in the public bathrooms often do not have lids. This poses a serious danger. The researchers also suggest that a better design of toilet would include a lid that closes automatically before download.