New Study: Planes And Trains Are Filled With Germs

A new study shows that 39% of Americans still choose to travel when they are sick – and that makes public transportation, from trains to planes, among the most germ-filled environments people can go.

The study was done for Vital Vio, a company that markets LED technology that it claims can kill 90% of the bacteria and other germs left on surfaces.

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Travelers have long suspected that enclosed environments like airplanes, subway cars, even buses, can make you sick – or sicker, as the case may be. So not only are those who say they are sick but will still travel possibly infecting those near them, but it becomes a domino effect – one person infects a seatmate on a plane, that seatmate brings it to somebody else on the subway into the city, that somebody else gives it to someone at the hotel, and so on.

In large part, it’s also because 60% of people who travel while they are sick also say they don’t use germicides, cleaning wipes or other products to wipe down those surfaces they’ve touched during their travels.

Yuck, right?

Researchers say that the sheer volume of people who enter and exit subways, trains and airplanes per day makes those transportation vehicles very high-risk environments. How high-risk?

Well, more bacteria are found per square inch on planes and subways than would be on the toilet seats in those travelers’ homes.

Yuck, right?

The full report, called ‘The Dirty Truth,’ can be found here.