TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid the controversy over a campaign pledge to install bidet toilet seats across Taipei, Taiwanese experts are pointing out that sitting toilets are generally more sanitary than squat versions and that public toilets are generally not that dangerous as long as proper hygiene is followed.
On Sept. 3, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for the Taipei mayoral race and former health minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) released a controversial video in which he unveiled his plan to install bidet toilet seats across Taipei's public restrooms. The video not only drew a backlash over the cleanliness of such devices in the midst of a pandemic, but also revived the debate over the merits of sitting versus squatting toilets.
Yen Tzung-Hai (顏宗海), director of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Department of Clinical Toxicology, was cited by UDN as pointing out that there are many myths related to public toilets in Europe and the U.S., such as the notion that public toilets are prone to transmitting sexually transmitted diseases and vaginitis. However, he said that these are just myths because the probability of infection through toilet seats is extremely low "because public toilets are extremely unlikely to cause sexually transmitted infections."
Yen stated that sitting toilets are somewhat more sanitary than their squatting counterparts because the latter are more prone to splashing water on the user. He added that some places that feature sitting toilets provide paper covers for the toilet seats, which can increase protection.
He suggested that if a person is concerned about the cleanliness of a toilet seat, they can place toilet paper on the seat and spray alcohol over it first. He then strongly recommended that people wash their hands before and after using the toilet with soap and water.
Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), an obstetrician and gynecologist, told the news agency that with public toilets, the most likely medium for virus transmission is "your hands." Lin pointed out that "Everyone's hands are the medium for touching their genitals, doorknobs, and pressing the flush button." She then exhorted the public to wash their hands before using a toilet and if they are concerned about germs, they can carry isopropyl alcohol and spray it on items that they touch with their hands, and to disinfect the stall handle after use.
She also emphasized that unless there were a lot of secretions on the stall handles, and users touch them immediately, their own immune system can usually protect them from germs in the environment. Lin also sought to dispel the myth that toilet seats transmit sexually transmitted infections by explaining that this does not generally occur, "because the genitals do not come into contact with the toilet seat during use."
