The role of air pressure transients on the spread of bacteria from wash-hand basin sink traps in hospital en-suite bathrooms: a laboratory-based pilot study
For the first time, it was shown that air pressure surges in wastewater drainage systems can spread bacteria from contaminated sink traps to wash-hand basins, particularly via aerosols. This emphasizes the need for a re-examination of hospital wastewater drainage system design and maintenance in order to mitigate this mechanism of contamination.
Authors
- David Kelly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4230-8823)
- Thomas Dight
- Thomas J. Aspray (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7087-1846)
- David P. Campbell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0974-4746)
- Michael Gormley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3418-4621)
Institutions
- University of Hertfordshire (GB)
- Glasgow Caledonian University (GB)
- Heriot-Watt University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Hospital Infection
- Published
- 2025-08-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.07.026
- Primary Topic
- Healthcare and Environmental Waste Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00