The best way to avoid getting sick from a shared surface
is to not touch it in the
first place.
Touching a contaminated surface can spread disease.
The science confirms this.
How long can pathogens remain infectious
on surfaces?
•
Hepatitis and Rotavirus:
months
(Boone 1689)
•
Strep and Pneumonia Bacteria:
days
(Marks 1142)
•
Influenza Virus:
days
(Oxford 424)
•
SARS-Cov-2 Virus (COVID-19):
hours or days
(Goldman page 893,
Riddell 6,
Labos 3)
Many pathogens are believed to spread
through aerosols or
respiratory droplets
(Bazant 1)
and contaminated surfaces
(fomites)
(CDC 2021a).
CDC urges frequent hand
washing and provides disinfecting
guidelines
(CDC 2021b),
but disinfection may require a dwell time
of up to five minutes between
uses
(EPA List N)
and cannot always be
trusted
(Santos 36,
Ribeiro 750).
Frequent use of hand sanitizers carries serious
health risks
(Mahmood 1),
and CDC has found no evidence of enhanced
protection from antimicrobial
coatings
(CDC 2019).
An infected person can contaminate an ATM, kiosk
or voting machine by coughing, sneezing or even just
talking, and subsequent contact carries
risk
(Boone 1687).
People on average touch their face every three
or four minutes, completing the path for
transmission
(Nicas 348).
Surface transmission may be responsible for as
many as one in four coronavirus post-lockdown
deaths
(Meiksin 1).
Even fecal bacteria has been found on many
touchscreens
(Ziemianski 2).
The safest way to use an ATM, kiosk,
credit card or voting machine, keypad
or shared tablet is to not touch
shared surfaces.
