VITN Blog Post #3: Beware: Airport security check trays and bins

With international and national travel seemingly growing as fast viruses evolve, it’s no surprise that travelling has made the rapid spread of infectious disease possible. While it’s no secret that airports have germs, very little information is actually available on the role of airports in the transmission of respiratory infections. A new study published in BMC Infectious Diseases has found that that the plastic security screening trays that all travelers inevitably encounter and touch pose the highest potential risk of contracting respiratory viruses.

In the study, researchers collected surface and air samples of multiple different sites throughout Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland. They did this weekly at three different time points during the peak flu period. Of those sites samples ranged from toilet lids to the locks of bathroom doors, testing for influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and coronaviruses.

The results showed that plastic security screening trays and bins were commonly contaminated with respiratory virus. This is consistent with the procedures being obligatory for all departing passengers and the trays being rapidly recycled. Such procedures allow for hundreds of people to be exposed to a number of pathogens. Researchers also noted that viruses like Influenza A have the potential to survive for up to two days on non-porous surfaces.

This knowledge becomes especially helpful in recognizing pathogen hotspots, especially during an emerging pandemic. But for now, be aware of the surfaces you touch the next time you travel!

Read the full article here: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/security-check-trays-pose-highest-risk-of-spreading-respiratory-viruses-in-airports

Read the full study here: https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-018-3150-5

—Miao G.