We’re All Eating Poo, Apparently

We’re All Eating Poo, Apparently

If you’re eating, please put whatever you’re snacking on down. You don’t want to be near food while reading this article. Sorted? Okay, great. Let’s talk about poop particles then, shall we?

In some pretty nasty news, recycled toilet paper company Who Gives a Crap has found data that suggests many Aussies are unknowingly covering a lot of their belongings with poo particles, and sometimes even ingesting them. Spew.

According to a 2005 study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology – and shared by Who Gives a Crap – airborne bacteria particles travel to nearby surfaces when a toilet is flushed (even when the lid is closed, because of gaps). This suggests that if you’re someone who reads or texts while on the toilet, or if you keep your toothbrush in close proximity to your toilet – it’s almost guaranteed your phone and toothbrush have come into contact with poop particles.

The study concluded that “splashing or aerosol generation during toilet flushing may spread virus particles onto contact surfaces such as the toilet seat or flush handle”. However, even a shelf behind the toilet and 83 cm above the seat was found to be contaminated in the study.

Who Gives A Crap referenced Jennifer Gardy, a senior scientist at British Columbia’s Centre for Disease Control, who shared that:

“All of these studies that go and look and say ‘oh, we found fecal coliform bacteria on the touchscreens at McDonald’s, we found it on cafeteria screens, we found it on the ATM screens on the bank,’ — you can’t not find fecal coliform bacteria.”

That shit is everywhere, seemingly.

But you are certainly not making things any better for yourself if you’re taking your phone to the toilet with you (which over 40 per cent of Aussies reportedly do). Particles travel from your poop to your phone relatively easily, and if you then touch your phone before eating, well… you get the picture.


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