Recently while surfing on yahoos ask a question site, I ran across an article about those paper toilet seat covers. I know many women who swear by them but I too have often wondered the safety factor in using these. As a health professional, I know that germs are everywhere humans venture.
The reality of public restrooms is they are public and while you will not catch, a sexually transmitted disease from sitting on them you may get sick otherwise. Herpes and the rest of the sexually transmitted diseases are not attainable from toilet seats, simply because they cannot live without a human host for very long. They die within a few minutes of leaving a human body, so they do not last long on a toilet seat or any other surface. A paper toilet seat cover will not help you in this way.
The only way you will catch a sexually transmitted disease is if you have sex on the toilet itself with a person who has a disease. Since not too many people care to have sex in public bathrooms, the chance of you catching a sexually transmitted disease off a toilet seat is non-existent even with a paper toilet seat cover.
Germs, which cause other types of illnesses such as a virsus, can be found upon a toilet seat as well, but it is extremely rare you can catch anything in this way. However, the person before you would have had to wipe the germs on the seat, and you would have to wipe your hands on the seat in the right place. Then you would have to touch your nose or mouth to get the germs inside your body and you would never do that.
So what good are these paper toilet seat covers to those of us who use them? It provides peace of mind to us, that we will have a clean dry bottom.
Convenience stores and gas stations, well I never venture into those bathrooms unless it is an emergency because of the dribbles. Dribbles are spots of urine left on the toilet seat by men and women who rush the urination process leaving a mess. We have all seen them before, you know what I am speaking of. In cases of emergency, I will toss a paper toilet seat covers on the seat itself and use my shoed foot to push around the paper toilet seat covers soaking up the dribbles and kick it into the toilet itself. Then I will toss yet another paper toilet seat covers on the seat for peace of mind.
The real germs can be found where people touch with their hands such as the faucets, soap dispensers, and doorknobs the paper toilet seat cover will not help here. When you are done washing your hands, use the paper towel to turn off the faucets, and open the door. You can always dispose of the paper towel in a near by garbage can on the outside of the bathroom after you exit.
If you buy the paper toilet seat covers, keep on purchasing them but please remember they do little more then offer peace of mind to the millions who use them on a daily basis. Source:http://ask.yahoo.com/20060217.html
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