Why can't you sit on a hot stool right away? Experts explain →

Buses, subways, parks and other scenes,

It is inevitable to come into direct contact with the "hot chair"

recently,

Topic "Why can't you sit on someone else's hot stool?"

Hot search

A netizen asked

Someone got off the bus.

A boy next to me wants to sit

But an aunt on the same bus reminded me to wait until the seat is cool before sitting down.

I've heard my mother say something similar.

I really want to know why?

This topic quickly sparked discussion

Some people think

Don't sit on a hot stool that someone else has sat on.

Because there is a possibility of infectious diseases

However, some netizens believe that

This statement has no scientific basis

"Not wanting to sit on a hot stool is psychological"

Or because

"From childhood, we were taught to be obedient"

Said that he often sits on the "hot bench" on the subway

"The seats will be gone when they get cold" "I'm already exhausted from work"

Is there any risk of infectious disease when sitting on a hot stool?

Most contact-transmitted disease pathogens cannot survive for long in dry and hot environments, and they need to be present in sufficient numbers and be active enough to penetrate the skin barrier.

Therefore, as long as a person's skin barrier is intact, it is difficult for these bench residues to pose a threat to an individual's health.

However, there are some pathogens, such as chickenpox, cutaneous candidiasis, scabies, ringworm and other diseases. If the affected skin part of the patient comes into direct contact with the bench and then comes into direct contact with the next person's skin without being completely inactivated, there is a possibility of transmission.

Pan Hongying, chief physician and director of the infectious disease department of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, said that no matter what kind of infectious disease it is, the transmission route is the key, such as contact transmission, blood transmission, respiratory transmission, etc. Simple "stool fever" will not cause infection.

As the weather gets warmer, people are dressing cooler. Assuming the pathogen is to be transmitted through stools, the most likely way is contact transmission, but this contact also has prerequisites.

For example, the skin of the person who sat on the stool before him directly touched the stool, and the surface of the seat may have left his dandruff, sweat, sebum and some germs on the skin surface. But "it doesn't mean that you will be infected if you come into contact with germs. Most pathogens transmitted by contact are very sensitive to temperature and humidity, and will die quickly after leaving the human body environment. For them to penetrate another person's clothing and skin barrier, they need to be in sufficient quantity and activity. This possibility is very small, so don't worry too much." Pan Hongying said.

Of course, this does not mean that this risk does not exist at all. For example, a patient suffering from chickenpox, candidiasis, scabies, ringworm or other diseases may leave body fluids on the seat due to skin damage. Someone happens to sit in this seat immediately after he leaves, and unfortunately has skin damage in the area that came into contact with the body fluids. In this case, there is still a possibility of infection.

Director Pan Hongying also mentioned that as for diseases of the urinary system, when sitting, there is usually clothing blocking the anus or urethra from directly contacting the seat, so there is little possibility of contact transmission. But by the same token, if the previous person left secretions and the next person happened to sit on it, retrograde infection may also occur. "Instead of looking at whether the chair is hot, it is better to look at whether the chair is dirty."

What should you pay attention to when accessing public facilities?

For public places that are regularly cleaned, dry and hygienic, there is not much risk of infectious diseases.

1. Stay away from damp places with poor cleaning conditions

Some places, such as public toilets, have poor cleaning conditions and are relatively humid, making them breeding grounds for germs, so try to stay away from them.

2. Wash your face and hands as soon as you get home

Dust in the air can easily settle in the pores of the skin, and hands may come into contact with a large number of public facilities every day. If they touch the mouth and nose without cleaning, it is often easy to spread pathogens through the fecal-oral route.

Therefore, washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizer with bactericidal effect can better protect personal hygiene.

3. Avoid crowded places

Wear a mask in crowded and poorly ventilated environments. If you cough or sneeze, be sure to cover your mouth and nose to protect yourself and others.