Hand Dryers Are Harmful to Some People
- 11 years ago
Researchers from Goldsmiths at the University of London have found that the volume of hand dryers in public bathrooms can be harmful to some people. Their study showed that high speed air dryers can cause discomfort for people suffering from dementia, or alter the navigation abilities of blind people, and force people who use hearing aids to turn them off upon entering the public restroom.
Researchers from Goldsmiths at the University of London have found that the volume of hand dryers in public bathrooms can be harmful to some people.
Their study showed that high speed air dryers can cause discomfort for people suffering from dementia, or alter the navigation abilities of blind people, and force people who use hearing aids to turn them off upon entering the public restroom.
Lead author of the study, Doctor John Levack Drever, from Goldsmiths said: “This loudness is vastly amplified in the highly reverberant and reflective small toilet. A wide range of vulnerable subgroups are been seriously affected by hand dryer noise, resulting in unwelcome stress in this sensitive space, and in extreme cases people are being exclude from public spaces, the workplace and schools.”
One theory of why the dryers are so loud is that they are tested in acoustic laboratories that dampen the sound.
The hand dryers are an alternative to paper towels that have become more and more popular because they are more sanitary, while also being more energy and cost efficient.
According to WiseGeek.com, there are quieter versions of the hand dryers already available.
Researchers from Goldsmiths at the University of London have found that the volume of hand dryers in public bathrooms can be harmful to some people.
Their study showed that high speed air dryers can cause discomfort for people suffering from dementia, or alter the navigation abilities of blind people, and force people who use hearing aids to turn them off upon entering the public restroom.
Lead author of the study, Doctor John Levack Drever, from Goldsmiths said: “This loudness is vastly amplified in the highly reverberant and reflective small toilet. A wide range of vulnerable subgroups are been seriously affected by hand dryer noise, resulting in unwelcome stress in this sensitive space, and in extreme cases people are being exclude from public spaces, the workplace and schools.”
One theory of why the dryers are so loud is that they are tested in acoustic laboratories that dampen the sound.
The hand dryers are an alternative to paper towels that have become more and more popular because they are more sanitary, while also being more energy and cost efficient.
According to WiseGeek.com, there are quieter versions of the hand dryers already available.