It has been said that the warm moist air expelled by automatic dryers is a perfect environment for bacrterial growth. In order to prevent this, the air path passes through a chamber flooded with UV light before exiting the machine. Additional protection could be gained by heating the air more and then passing it though a series of channels to cool it to an acceptable temperature before leaving the cabinet.
-- oneoffdave, Mar 01 2005

UV/Ultrasonic Hand Dryer UV_2fUltra_20Sonic_...sher_2fHand_20Dryer
[Supercruiser] [reensure, Mar 01 2005]

Community Acquired MRSA http://www.dermatol...etail.jsp?id=137282
More bugs to worry about if you are that kind of person. [oneoffdave, Mar 01 2005]

How is the air moist, anyway? Doesn't it get heated up, thus drying it out?
-- squeak, Mar 01 2005


Most public bathrooms are fairly humid. The conventioanl dryer doesn't heat the air up enough to have a much of a drying effect (on the air).
-- oneoffdave, Mar 01 2005


Are there documented cases of disease outbreak tied to these bacteria factory hand dryers? I can see this being a worry for the immune impaired, but is it a real danger? Can you tell that I don't carry around a bottle of hand sanitizer every place I go?

If it's a problem, perhaps the simple solution lies in ductwork.
-- half, Mar 01 2005


Honorable mention: {:Starchaser:} "Step three seems universally to be 'Receive Bacon'.
-- reensure, Mar 01 2005


From what I've read (links being hard to find, either pro or con) the risk exists but how much of a problem it is is undetermined. With the first cases of MRSA being transmitted in the community coming to light, this may become more of a problem.
-- oneoffdave, Mar 01 2005


Then, since we're redesigning the hand dryer, simple ducting to draw supply air from a source other than the damp bathroom might go some way toward preventing the incubation of this stuff in the hand dryer. It'd run up installation costs, but shouldn't have a huge impact on manufacturing costs. Additionally, better ventilation of the bathrooms couldn't hoit.

In the end, resistant strains of bugs will probably be attributed to the now ubiquitous anti-bacterial hand soap.
-- half, Mar 01 2005


I agree whole-heartedly that better ventilation would be a big improvement for most bathrooms anyway. I was trying to think of a relatively quick retro-fittable fix for what may be seen by some to be a problem.

I suspect the antibacterial soap will do more harm than good in the long term.
-- oneoffdave, Mar 01 2005


I can think of a solution that would sound like a bong.
-- reensure, Mar 01 2005


[reensure], not that I've ever used a bong in any fashion, but I assume you might mean using water as a filter medium like "Rainbow" (and I assume other) vacuum cleaners do.

[ood], I get your point about the retrofit. And certainly the perception of a problem is good enough reason to sell a "solution".

I take it that your proposal is an add-on to existing hand dryers then, a fix that doesn't require construction work in the building. I wonder what the exposure time per unit of volume of air has to be in order for your UV proposal to be effective.
-- half, Mar 01 2005


I wonder if Ozone could be used?

To speed up drying, a partial vacuum might help.
-- Ling, Mar 02 2005


[half] I saw this as a new hand dryer that would be fitted when replacing existing ones, utilising the same power supply and taking about the same space as the existing one.

[Fogfreak] They don't multiply in that time. What happens is that the bacteria in the air is warmed up and then 'sprayed' by the machine at your warm moist hands. All in all a fairly happy environment for bacteria.
-- oneoffdave, Mar 02 2005



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