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Diseases Transmitted by Toilet Seats

While it’s true that they often look disgusting, public toilet seats may have taken a bum rap over the years. You are much more likely to pick up germs from surfaces in public restrooms that have been touched by other users’ hands, such as faucets, towel dispensers and counter tops. Still, though it is extremely unlikely that you could catch a disease from a toilet seat, the odds depend to a large extent on what type of germs are present.

  1. Viral Diseases

    • Most viruses cannot survive outside their human hosts – exposure to air kills them immediately. Even if they did touch your skin, they can only enter your body through a mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth, genitals) or a cut. Though some viruses (such as hepatitis B, genital warts or the herpes virus) can live for a short time outside their hosts, for such a disease to be transmitted by a toilet seat a cut in the skin would have to line up exactly with the germs – and even then the risk would be small. According to the Center for Disease Control, there is essentially zero chance of contracting AIDS from a toilet seat.

    Bacterial Diseases

    • Like viruses, bacteria can only enter the body through breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. While bacterial infections have been transferred through shared towels or communal bathing, the chances are very slim of picking up a bacterial infection from a toilet seat. The Center for Disease Control has said that syphilis can’t be transmitted that way.

    Pubic Lice

    • It is remotely possible to catch public lice (“crabs”) from a toilet seat, as they can live for a day or two away from a human host. However, public lice can’t fly or walk and are unable to “jump” very well on a slick plastic surface such as a toilet seat. In addition, any lice which have fallen off their original hosts are most likely dying already.

    Other

    • There have also been cases of toilet seat dermatitis (irritation and a rash) in children caused by contact with harsh cleaning products on plastic seats or paint or varnish on wooden seats. Using barriers such as the paper rings found in many public restrooms can be some protection but only if the seat is dry. If the surface is wet, the paper will wick that moisture (and any germs) right up onto the skin.

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