While this is funny, I'm always inclined to side with the girls on this one since no one wants the particles of bacteria coming up. I always, always put the lid down. My best firend is married to a respiratory therapist, you do not want to know how many particles come up just when you flush....you just don't.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
Also, I think you mean the lid, not the seat. The seat would do sweet bugger all to stop said particles.
It's kind of a moot point though, the respiratory therapist's info is misleading. Get a friend who does microbiology and you'll realise just how much bacteria and stuff is FRIGGIN' EVERYWHERE! You'll soon realise how little difference those "particles" make.
I generally put the seat down, but that's me being polite. Rationally I usually reach the point of "leave it how you use it", seems fairest.
This post has been edited by Lucifer's Heaven: 27 September 2012 - 03:31 PM
"So how'd you save the world?"
"Averted the rapture by drowning the baby Jesus in his own tears"
It's not misleading at all. Just because bacteria is everywhere doesn't mean that they don't shoot poo particles up from the toilet too.
Put it this way, would you rather put your toothbrush on the back of the toilet tank when not using it, right by an open toilet that is flushed repeatedly....or on the other side of the bathroom next to the sink or in a medicine cabinet and the toilet seat down when flushed?
Quality, not quantity.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
You do mean the toilet lid, right?
And I think you underestimate what I mean by "FRIGGIN' EVERYWHERE". It's not just that there is bacteria everywhere, it's that you'd probably be really concerned by just what bacteria there is floating everywhere.
While they are hardly the most scientific show, the Mythbusters episode about this does a fairly good job of illustrating it. They set up a bunch of toothbrushes around a bathroom. After a few months of using the bathroom they test all the toothbrushes. As expected, the ones near the toilet have fecal coliform bacteria on them. Then they test the ones on the other side of the room over near the sink, which also test positive for fecal coliforms. As do the ones a few rooms away in the kitchen.
If it's only "what" bacteria that you care about (like you said, quality over quantity) it probably makes little to no difference. Not least because some will likely escape when you go to the toilet, before you even flush. If it were amount, then yeah more gets out.
But meh, we have immune systems, we will be exposed to stuff. Trying to cut out all cases of incidental exposure to stuff we should be able to handle doesn't help, and potentially harms.
Hmmm...
Too many words for this thread.
Have a semi related picture, WITH LOTS OF WORDS!
And a couple of others with less words
I really hope this actually is a tattoo, it's awesome.
Trampoline tent!
"So how'd you save the world?"
"Averted the rapture by drowning the baby Jesus in his own tears"