Ewww - Don't touch those airport security bins

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Airport security checkpoints are full of microbes!

A number of media outlets ranging from the Stars and Stripes to Sciencealert highlighted the results of a recent study by a group of international scientists that indicates we are all one touch away from having a myriad of maladies passed to us as we touch the bins. The study’s title, “Deposition of respiratory virus pathogens on frequently touched surfaces at airports,” is enough to scare you to death.

Now take a deep breath and hang on.

This study was conducted in Helsinki, Finland, during the seasonal influenza period of 2015-16, at three different periods of time. This is the good news. Finland isn’t that busy of an airport, with just over 25,000 passengers moving through the airport on any given day.

The bad news, the researchers detected “pathogen viral nucleic acids.” They conclude that the plastic security screening trays pose the highest risk and handling these is inevitable for all embarking passengers.

Securely Travel - security bin test — via security bin research study

Now the really bad news. Let’s make a small assumption, that similar results would be found at international hubs serviced by non-stop flights from Helsinki.

For example, London Heathrow which has 126,000+ passengers a day, or Frankfurt with 103,000+ passengers a day. As we can see in the test diagram, there are multiple points of infection in the Helsinki airport and the same would apply at any international airport.

Think it is just hypothetical?

On 05 September we saw how ill travelers can affect an entire flight. After all, the airplanes are sealed metal tubes recycling the air to all passengers. They are proving to be effective petri dishes as evidenced by the Emirates Air flight that was recently quarantined in New York City. The headline read “19 People Confirmed Sick on Emirates Flight to JFK After 100 Report Feeling Ill.”

According to the CDC explanation for the number of ill passengers, the finger was pointed to the Hajj pilgrims traveling from Mecca where they had caught the flu. And yes, a flu outbreak during the Hajj in Mecca has been documented. Dubai airport, accommodates well over 146,000 passengers per day, with many of these transiting from Jeddah.

Was this a case of ill travelers, and those travelers who may have become contaminated/ill while going through security and/or on board the flying petri dishes?

So what to do?

Have you ever noticed how the TSA security personnel in the U.S. and security personnel in other countries are always wearing those sterile gloves?

We won’t call it an epiphany, but duh!

Our new advice — masks and gloves!

It may not be stylish, but our health doesn’t require us to be stylin’ as we pass through airport security

Now go spend $25 and get your gloves and mask for your next flight.