"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
Apparently when a washdown WC is flushed, lots of water droplets
rise into the air, and float about, covering everything in *germs*,
yuck, so if you don't want to inhale them, hold your breath before
you pull the plug, then run out very fast as soon as you've done
so. It's really quite odd that these droplets don't really seem to
cause any problem... are the "warnings" paranoia?

Of course they are. There's a very good reason that the human body has a
broad-spectrum and highly capable immune system. Bacteria and viruses are
absolutely ubiquitous, and the stronger your immune system, the better your
chance of surviving a drug-resistant pandemic. I'm not saying that people
should go out of their way to expose themselves to germs, but the recent
obsession with hand-washing, antibacterial soaps, and doctors prescribing
antibiotics at every turn cannot be good for the collective humane immune
response, and is based on both the cleanliness industries and the drug
industries using paranoia to boost sales.

Interesting aside.... I don't know if this program has made it to the
international scene, but in the US there are a couple of Hollywood special
effects guys that do a quasi-science TV show called "Myth Busters". One of
the myths they examime is what surfaces in the house have the most germs.
Kitchen counters and floors are abominable, as are bathroom floors. Oddly
enough, the toilet (WC) seat is one of the cleanest places in the house.
Anyway, as part of this show, they showed that fecal coliform bacteria have
a disconcerting habit of spreading to all parts of the bathroom as a result
of the small amount of aerosol generated when flushing.

Eric Lucas