Door handle bacteria

The material the door handle is made from can play a significant part in the growth of bacteria. That is the change in material can mean the difference between a handle that is riddled with microorganisms or bacteria free. One experiment conducted took both a stainless steel plate – which is what most door handles are currently made from – and a copper plate coating them both with 10 million cells each of MRSA. What they found was that bacteria thrived on the stainless steel plates while the natural antibacterial properties of copper worked both directly and indirectly to destroy the bacteria. “The direct effect comes from the release of copper ions which degrade the DNA of a cell and inhibit its respiration. The indirect effect is even more rapid. On a dry surface, copper interacts with the bacteria's metabolism to generate very potent free radicals, which are even quicker than copper itself at destroying the DNA and inhibiting respiration.”[9] Tests have shown that copper is not only effective against superbugs like MRSA C difficile, but also other dangerous germs like the flu virus and E. coli.

All bacteria have a certain optimum temperature to which they thrive. However, door handles do not provide the best conditions for most bacteria to grow. Its subjection to room temperature (around 20 degrees Celsius) and dry surface means most bacteria are not likely to survive for more than 8 hours. Unfortunately, there are exceptions like MRSA bacteria that can thrive on door handles surviving for days to weeks without any moisture in room temperature. Similarly, for pH, there is an optimum range for bacteria grows the faster. Generally speaking, bacteria grows the quickest in the pH range 6–8[10] and for MRSA specifically, 7.4–7.6.

Just like all the factors above, the actual place where the door handles are located is crucial when it comes to the life expectancy of bacteria. As we know, all handles in public places, e.g. bathrooms, toilets and front doors, are the most dangerous ones because these places come in contact with people’s hands most frequently transferring a wide variety of germs onto them.[11] On the other hand, there are places like ordination rooms and laboratories where bacteria is unlikely to survive, however despite being kept clean and sanitised, there is still a possibility of infective organisms.

Since bacteria likes wet and humid surroundings, the type of the handle – whether it is a lever or a knob – makes a difference. Depending on the size and material, the life conditions for bacteria differ. While door handles are usually made of metal, doorknobs, in the past, tended to be wooden, meaning they can absorb and retain dampness for a longer time making the perfect conditions for germs and bacteria to thrive. However, most modern door knobs, at least in the United States, tend to be made of metal. Although the commonly shaped metal handles can be more easily cleaned as they have a more wipeable surface, round knobs have a smaller size which mean a smaller area for the bacteria to live on.[12]

One of the most common diseases caused by door handle bacteria is the common cold. Since the virus is spread mostly by direct contact with an object or surface that has been contaminated by the infection and then touching our face, the everyday dangers are obvious. The symptoms become apparent a few days after the patient is infected and the following ones are the most recognizable: sore throat, runny nose, cough and sneezing. A statistic shows that on average 13,738,175 people[13] in the United Kingdom suffer from common cold. By this number Britain has the largest number of infections of all countries in Western Europe.

Meningitis is the swelling of the membranes around the spinal cord and brain most often caused by Viral and Bacterial infection which incidentally are the only two types which could be passed through contact with door handles. Although relatively rare, meningitis can be life-threatening with rapidly developing symptoms. Bacterial meningitis is the deadliest form of this disease but throughout the years, having become more aware of the disease and its causes, we have been able to significantly lower the number of deaths due to meningitis each year.[14] As a child, you are more at risk of contracting meningitis which is why recommended vaccines have been put in place across the UK for the three main bacteria types: Neisseria meningitides, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

Swine flu is one of many diseases that are contracted by person to person contact. In April 2009 the virus was discovered in the USA, 2 months later in June the CDC (center for disease control) announced the disease as a pandemic.[15] It is believed that door handles provide a suitable environment for the disease to spread on, as the virus can survive on these metallic surfaces from 2 up to 8 hours. Door handles provide a popular medium for the disease to spread as every person uses the handle, they can extend the duration that the microorganisms survive.

The calicivirus, which causes the very common stomach flu, can live for days or weeks depending on the surrounding conditions. This virus belongs to the family Caliciviridae, which includes other viruses such as:

• Norovirus, a common cause of food poisoning and acute gastroenteritis in humans;
• Sapovirus, formerly called "Sapporo-like virus" (SLV) and sometimes referred to as classic or typical calicivirus, which can also cause gastroenteritis in humans;
• Vesivirus, the swine vesicular exanthema virus; and
• Lagovirus, the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus.

Each of these viruses can survive for various durations depending on the surrounding conditions (room temperature, humidity, etc.) on door handles.[16] While most of these can be prevented through simple hand washing, in public places this is much more difficult resulting in significant spread.