Hand Dryers Spread The Viruses That You Failed To Wash Off

Dyson hand dryers are the finest part of visiting an airport restroom—which, to be fair, is not a difficult contest to win. Just dunk your hands into “Airblade,” a gift from the dystopian future, and without you touching a single surface, it’ll whip every droplet of water off your hands. But because no pleasure comes guilt-free, a study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology reveals that these jet dryers also launch lots of viruses into the air, over great distances, and for great periods of time. Dang. We already knew that air dryers sent bacteria into the air, but the new study confirms that viruses join the party too—concerning because viruses are better equipped to stay infectious while floating through the air and chilling out on bathroom surfaces. Dyson’s jet dryers sp…