Airport Security Bins Carry More Viruses Than an Airport Toilet
It's no surprise that airports might not be the most hygienic places on earth. From bare feet in the security line to crowded terminal gates, there are plenty of viruses lingering around that you should be mindful of.
When it comes to the dirtiest parts of an airport, though, a new study found that the plastic bins at airport security checkpoints carry the most germs — even more than toilets.
A group of pandemic experts from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare swabbed a variety of the most-touched surfaces at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) in Finland during the winter of 2016 and found high concentrations of viruses. They published their findings in the BMC Infectious Disease Journal, and the results will have you packing extra hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes in your carryon.
Not only were the plastic bins crawling with viruses, the researchers also discovered evidence of viruses on 10% of all the surfaces they tested. These included shop payment terminals, staircase rails, passport checking counters, children's play areas and in the air.
"The new findings support preparedness planning for controlling the spread of serious infectious diseases in airports. The results also provide new ideas for technical improvements in airport design and refurbishment," said Niina Ikonen, a virology expert from the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare in a statement.
Rhinovirus, the virus that causes the common cold, was detected the most. The researchers also found traces of the influenza A virus. Swabs of toilet surfaces did not reveal any respiratory viruses.
"People can help to minimize contagion by hygienic hand washing and coughing into a handkerchief, tissue or sleeve at all times but especially in public places," said Jonathan Van Tam, a Professor of Health Protection at the University's School of Medicine in the statement. "These simple precautions can help prevent pandemics and are most important in crowded areas like airports that have a high volume of people travelling to and from many different parts of the world."
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month