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Unwashed Nation: Study Finds Dirty Hands Abound

At Grand Central, Penn Station and other public venues, many bathroom users still don't wash their hands
At Grand Central, Penn Station and other public venues, many bathroom users still don't wash their hands

According to a report by the American Society of Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute (the cleansing product lobby), hot dog handlers, baseball fans and bathroom users in a variety of public places simply aren't washing their hands. The New York Times reports the news from a microbiology conference in Boston:

Some subjects were asked about their washing habits in telephone interviews; others were watched by undercover observers in public restrooms. Some of what the sink spectators witnessed was, well, filthy. Consider: 20 percent of people using the restrooms at Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal in New York did not wash their hands.

This program aired on September 14, 2010. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Rachel Zimmerman

Rachel Zimmerman Reporter
Rachel Zimmerman previously reported on health and the intersection of health and business for WBUR. She is working on a memoir about rebuilding her family after her husband’s suicide. 

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