HEALTH
THAT'S DISGUSTING fecal plume
You may have pressed the lever and heard the sudden rush of water, but that doesn't mean you've bid your feces a final farewell. With every flush, a fine mist of H2O—and bacteria—is sprayed out of the toilet and onto any surface within a range of 6 to 8 feet. "It looks like the Fourth of July when you capture it with photography," says Chuck Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona.
Gerba was the first American scientist to study what he calls the "toilet aerosol effect." He first tackled the subject in a 1975 study, in which he found potentially harmful bacteria could linger in bathroom air for two hours after each toilet flush.
Different toilet designs make for a variety of spray patterns. Public restroom commodes often spray backwards, while standard "tank toilets" distribute filth more evenly in all directions.
Gerba's advice to frequent flushers: Keep the toilet lid down when flushing, or place chlorine tablets in your toilet's tank
to help kill bacteria. If you can't help leaving the lid up, at least hide your toothbrush in a drawer or cabinet, because Gerba says salmonella and E. coli bacteria are often expelled from toilets, and toilet germs are a common cause of diarrhea. "You don't want to brush your teeth with what you flush down the toilet," Gerba says.
-Asher Fusco
THIS WEEKEND: Java Break's Cereal Bar
Still wondering why Mom never let you pour chocolate milk over your cereal? So is Java Break, 17 E. Seventh St. The folks at Java Break have taken this boring breakfast standard out of its morning routine and transformed it into a late-night pastime with the opening of its new cereal bar.
Take a seat at the 1970s-inspired bar and relax to some classic black and white cartoons on the TV while the Java Break staff tricks out your bowl of cereal with toppings ranging from staples like bananas and strawberries to things
there's plenty of room in your pocketbook for experimentation. The extensive menu allows customers to mix two different cereals, add a topping and finish it off with a choice of milk.And the best part? You don't even have to be an early riser because Java Break is open 24 hours.
that might make your
—Brianne Pfannenstiel
mother cringe,
mother cring
such as
M&Ms or
apple pie
filling.
The choices can be in-timidating at first, but at only $2.50 a bowl.
16 October 2, 2008