Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / auborddulac
Many administrators of park and recreation facilities love electric hand dryers, and the reasons are clear. They virtually eliminate the need to store and purchase paper towels, which can be a real cost savings. Custodial workers report that restrooms stay cleaner when the hand dryers are used. Plus, these units can be installed in satellite restrooms around the park, eliminating the need to deliver and transport paper products from one location to another, often in a distant area.
However, administrators should be aware of some possible pitfalls with these devices. A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection in 2018 found that electric hand dryers can spread health-risking pathogens onto surfaces and into the air, and these pathogens have the potential of being picked up on hands or inhaled, spreading disease.
The study addressed hand dryers such as older, traditional ones that blow out warm air, but the focus was on the newer generation of hand dryers, sometimes referred to as jet-air dryers, or JADs. These newer systems blow out large volumes of air to dry hands, but do not necessarily warm the air.