How Clean are Airport Terminals?

Airports in London have a footfall of thousands of people per day. The hustle and bustle of passengers filtering through the various terminals can compromise the levels of hygiene and the question ‘How Clean are Airport Terminals?’ A recent study has found that airport terminals are home to high levels of bacteria.  An article run on the Los Angeles Times Website reported that Insurancequotes.com conducted swab tests on the surfaces of three airports and three airlines. The airports targeted for these tests were not revealed to avoid confidentiality issues. The results were as follows: The highest germ counts in the terminals were found on:

• The screens of Self Service Ticketing kiosks.
• Bench armrests.
• Drinking fountain buttons.

The highest germ counts in the planes were found on:

• The flush button on the toilets.
• The tray tables.
• Seat buckles.

Self-cleaning mats are being used in one airport who are tackling terminal germs with containers that have special liners in the bins and on the handles. These are powered by light, the mat’s surface consists of mineral Nano-crystals, which creates an oxidation reaction stronger than bleach and continually kills germs. The surface does not use traditional disinfectants and cleaners which contain poisons, heavy metals or chemicals, and nothing is released from the surface since the Nano-crystals are molecularly bonded to the material. If these self-cleaning mats reduce the germ count drastically then many more will follow suit to achieve bacteria free airports. Read the full article.