Can you catch anything from sitting on a public toilet seat?

Fortunately, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll catch something from sitting on a toilet seat in a public restroom. Most germs, like the common cold, can’t survive long on the cold, hard surfaces of a toilet seat.

Is sitting on a public toilet seat bad?

The myth that you can get an STI from a toilet seat has been debunked and you’re highly unlikely to get any sort of disease, but public toilet seats are a hotbed for bacteria and you could potentially pick up an infection. And in fact, studies have found that this “toilet plume” contains E. coli, SARS, and norovirus.

Can you get a virus from sitting on a toilet seat?

You are not likely to catch a viral or bacterial disease on a toilet seat. Physical contact has to be “back-to-back” for you to contract a bacterial or viral infection from a toilet seat. A person’s genitals have to come into direct contact with the toilet seat surface.

Can you get chlamydia from sitting on a toilet seat?

Chlamydia cannot be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or cutlery.

Can you get HPV from a toilet seat?

Even if a person delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner, they are still at risk of HPV infection if their partner has been exposed. You cannot get HPV from: Toilet seats. Hugging or holding hands.

Can you get STDs from public bathrooms?

Since bacterial STIs cannot survive outside the environment of mucous membranes in the body, it is essentially impossible to contract one by sitting on public toilet seats. Viral causes of STIs cannot survive for long outside the human body either, so they generally die quickly on surfaces like toilet seats.

Can you catch syphilis from a toilet seat?

You cannot get syphilis through casual contact with objects such as toilet seats, doorknobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, shared clothing, or eating utensils.

Can I get chlamydia from a toilet seat?

Are Americans afraid to sit on public toilets?

No wonder that 60 percent of Americans say they won’t sit down to use a public toilet, according to the Web site of Sani-Seat, a company that makes those nifty gizmos that automatically wrap the seat in a fresh plastic cover after each use. But experts say our fear of sitting on the average toilet seat (one that isn’t visibly soiled) is overblown.

Do toilet seats have germs on them?

Whether it’s a public bathroom or your own, toilet areas, including the seats, are known to have all kinds of germs on them. Obviously, it’s critical to wash your hands after using the restroom.

Can you get sick from just sitting on the toilet?

But you’re probably not going to get sick just by sitting on the toilet. “Sitting on the toilet isn’t a great risk because the pathogens in waste are gastrointestinal pathogens. The real risk is touching surfaces that might be infected with bacteria and viruses and then ingesting them because they’re on your hands,” says Dr. Pentella.

Is it safe to sit on the average toilet seat?

But experts say our fear of sitting on the average toilet seat (one that isn’t visibly soiled) is overblown. There’s no question that germs can inhabit the seat, says Philip Tierno, MD, director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at New York University Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.