FLIGHT SECRETS: The most dirtiest place on a plane has been revealed (Pic: GETTY STOCK IMAGE)
Flight cabins and airports will be crawling with thousands of germs. And when it comes down to cleanliness, planes have long been known to hide a number of dirty secrets.
According to a new study, the headrest harbours more germs than anywhere else on the plane.
A company, called Marketplace, took 19 short-haul flights between Ottawa and Montreal at various times of the day this summer.
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“I was really amazed about how much we actually recovered from them”
Keith Warriner
During each flight, they swabbed five spots – the seatbelt, tray table, headrest, seat pocket and washroom handle.
More than 100 samples were then sent off to the lab at the University of Guelph, in Canada, to be tested by microbiologist Keith Warriner for various bacteria, as well as yeast, mould and E.coli.
According to Keith, almost half the surfaces that were tested had high levels of bacteria, yeast or mould that would put a person at risk of serious infection.
He told Marketplace: “I was really amazed about how much we actually recovered from them, some of them more scary than others."
PLANE: Flight cabins and airports will be crawling with thousands of germs (Pic: GETTY STOCK IMAGE)
The worst spot was the headrest, along with the seat pocket. They both tested positive for E.coli, a type of bacteria common in human and animal intestines, which means it likely came from fecal contamination.
While most types of E.coli are harmless, some can cause serious food poisoning and infection.
Classic symptoms linked to this strain, include severe stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea that may be bloody.
If there are no complications, these symptoms usually last up to seven days, but some infections can be severe or life-threatening.
Also, there was big concern over the presence of Haemolytic bacteria – typically associated with a strep throat – that was found on one headrest.
While the microbiologist was shocked at the level of bacteria on the plane surfaces, he was mainly confused at how fecal matter could get onto areas like the inside of seat pockets.
Flight attendants claim to have found everything from used nappies to tampons in the back of seats.
GERMS: Planes contain a lot of bacteria, according to a new research (Pic: GETTY STOCK IMAGE) Related Articles
One former cabin crew member told CBC News: “Everything goes in there; everything from the paper-thin vomit bags, to used wrappers… I found used tampons in seat pockets before.”
According to another study by insurancequotes.com, the worst spot on the plane was the flush button on the toilet.
The second filthiest part of a plane was the tray table, with 11.595 CFUs, followed by seat buckles with 1,116 CFUs.
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