Is it worth changing clothes after using public transportation: expert explanation
We are accustomed to taking off our shoes when entering a room. But what about clothes? After the pandemic, the trend of removing all clothing to prevent the spread of various bacteria and infections has gained popularity. It also helps in keeping furniture clean.
On TikTok, users share videos discussing the "unreasonable obsession" of requiring their partners to undress as soon as they arrive home to avoid contact with harmful germs. This was reported by the Daily Mail.
In a video that has garnered more than three million views, the user claims that going to bed with clothes on can lead to skin rashes. Is this statement accurate?
Researchers acknowledge that this is indeed possible. In 2016, they conducted a study of the Boston subway system and discovered traces of four different types of bacteria, all of which can cause specific diseases. These include Propionibacterium, which causes acne, Corynebacterium, responsible for diphtheria, as well as Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, causing strep throat.
"My rational brain says that the likelihood of me getting sick with something if I don't change my clothes immediately is slim," said Dr. Cinder to The Washington Post.
Dr. Cinder emphasized that washing hands upon entering the house is a much more effective way to protect against infections.
Dr. Ian Lipkin, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health who has studied germs in New York City, mentioned that he always wears gloves when holding onto subway handrails. He advises "hugging" the railings with your elbow, not your hands, to reduce the risk of infection.
Transmission of infection through clothing can only occur if you wear clothes that contain a pathogen and you touch a specific spot containing the pathogen long enough for the germs to end up on your fingers. To get infected for sure, you need to touch a place with open mucous membranes.
Given these facts, there is a risk of infection, but it is very low.