Hand dryers are electric devices found in a public washroom and are used to dry hands. They may either operate with a button, or more recently, automatically using an infrared sensor.

Contents 1 Advantages 2 Disadvantages 3 Developments 4 Manufacturers 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Advantages

Hand dryers have been popular with industries for their apparent economies; hand dryers can cut costs by as much as 90%, when compared to paper towels.^[1] They require very little maintenance,^[2] whereas paper towel stocks need to be replaced, and used paper towels removed.

Due to the reduction in litter and waste in comparison with paper towels (which cannot be recycled)^[3], hand dryers are also claimed to be better for the environment. One source claims that an average fast-food restaurant using paper towels, annually, results in 9 fully-grown trees being cut down, and 1,000 pounds of landfill waste created, though many are often unaware of these consequences.^[4] Even before the paper towels are used, each ton has claimed 20,000 gallons of water in chemical cleansing.^[5]

Whether hand dryers are actually more environmentally friendly is, however, not a clear cut matter. A Dutch study published in March 1995 indicated that there was environmental parity between hand dryers and paper towels as hand drying methods when all factors were taken into consideration (Ir J. Potting, Ir J.P. Groot-Marcus, M.P. van Golen; Levenscyclusanalyse van drie handdroogsystemen; March 1995). See also Tissue paper for information about the ways in which the paper towel industry has worked to improve its sustainability in recent years

Hand dryers, are also claimed to be more hygienic (though note the many counterclaims below under "disadvantages"). Doctors at the University of Ottawa claim that "the blowing of warm air may lead to an accelerated dehydration of the skin surface, thereby affecting the viability" of the microorganisms, and that the warm air may "penetrate all the crevices in the skin, whereas absorbent towels may not reach such areas, even though the skin appears dryer".^[6]

[edit] Disadvantages

The general public find most hand dryers, particularly early models, slow to use. As a result, newer high-speed models are available to the market. In addition, if a facility completely replaces its towel dispensers with hand dryers, then people often no longer have access to the towels for things like cleaning up spills, wiping up messes on their body or clothing, etc. Some also may find hand dryers to be too noisy.

Research conducted in 2008 indicated that European consumers much prefer hand towels over hand dryers in public washrooms. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said paper towels were their preferred drying method, while just 28% preferred a hand dryer. Respondents overwhelmingly considered paper towels to offer faster hand drying than electric hand dryers (68% vs 14%). On the whole they also considered paper towels to be the most hygienic form of hand drying in public washrooms (53% vs 44%) ^[7]

Several scientific studies have indeed confirmed the hand dryer to be much less hygienic than the paper towel.

In 2008, a study was conducted by the University of Westminster, London, to compare the levels of hygiene offered by paper towels, warm air hand dryers and the more modern jet-air hand dryers ^[8]. The key findings were:

• after washing and drying hands with the warm air dryer, the total number of bacteria was found to increase on average on the finger pads by 194% and on the palms by 254%
• drying with the jet air dryer resulted in an increase on average of the total number of bacteria on the finger pads by 42% and on the palms by 15%
• after washing and drying hands with a paper towel, the total number of bacteria was reduced on average on the finger pads by up to 76% and on the palms by up to 77%.

The scientists also carried out tests to establish whether there was the potential for cross contamination of other washroom users and the washroom environment as a result of each type of drying method. They found that:

• the jet air dryer, which blows air out of the unit at claimed speeds of 400 mph, was capable of blowing micro-organisms from the hands and the unit and potentially contaminating other washroom users and the washroom environment up to 2 metres away
• use of a warm air hand dryer spread micro-organisms up to 0.25 metres from the dryer
• paper towels showed no significant spread of micro-organisms.

In 2005, in a study conducted by TUV Produkt und Umwelt, different hand drying methods were evaluated ^[9] . The following changes in the bacterial count after drying the hands were observed:

Drying method	Effect on Bacterial Count
Paper towels and roll	Decrease of 24%
Hot-air drier	Increase of 117%

Another paper (Ngeow YF, Ong HW, Tan P. Dispersal of bacteria by an electric air hand dryer. Malays J Pathol. 1989 Aug;11:53-6.) found that air dryers dispersed marker bacteria in a radius of three feet and onto the investigator's laboratory coat. Another study (Rebecca Montville, Yuhuan Chen and Donald W. Schaffner, Risk assessment of hand washing efficacy using literature and experimental data, International Journal of Food Microbiology, Volume 73, Issues 2-3, 11 March 2002, Pages 305-313) found that hot air dryers had the capacity to increase the bacterial count on the skin, and that paper towel drying decreased skin bacterial count. This is agreed upon by another study (Gould D. The significance of hand-drying in the prevention of infection. Nurs Times. 1994 Nov 23-29;90(47):33-5), which also found that the mechanical action of paper towel drying removed bacteria, which is something hand dryers cannot do.

Handwashing for Life, an association of food service suppliers that includes paper makers^[10], suggests restrooms containing hand dryers only should be avoided on the grounds of hygiene ^[11]

The European Tissue Symposium, a trade body, has produced a position statement on the hygiene standards of different hand drying systems. This summarises some of the scientific research undertaken.^[12]

Besides their shortfalls in terms of hygiene standards, hand dryers can also be costly to purchase and install. This means those responsible for facility management must do a careful cost analysis to determine whether they are cost effective in their building.^[13]

[edit] Developments

This section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this section from a neutral point of view. (February 2008)

This section's tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (February 2008)

Dyson have recently released a new type of hand dryer, the Dyson Airblade. Dyson claims that it dries hands in 10 seconds, that it is more cost effective for energy usage than traditional hot air blower hand dryers, and is more environmentally friendly, saving 83% in energy in comparison to conventional hand dryers. Based on 200 uses a day for 365 days a year, the Airblade would cost £30 to operate for that full year^[14].

It seems that the Dyson Airblade may be a copy of the Mitsubishi Jet Towel, which uses a similar design and technology.^[15] The Jet Towel has been used in Japanese bathrooms since 1997.^[16]

U.S.-based Excel Dryer Ltd has also released a similar machine; XLerator, advertised as being 98% cheaper than paper towels, and more environmentally friendly^[17]. These machines are now commonly used in British supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda, replacing older, less efficient dryers such as those made by World Dryer Corporation.

An American company, American Dryer has developed a high speed hand dryer with a 10 second drying time. The eXtremeAir is more economical at a cost of $390 US. It works by blasting a user's hands with a stream of heated air at 185 MPH. This breaks up the surface tension of the water for quick removal and evaporation. It uses about 80% less energy than conventional hand dryers which require 2300 watts of electrical power for 30-40 seconds.

Interestingly, a Taiwanese company, Hokwang Industries, makes high-speed hand dryer not only fast but also more entertaining and multifunctional. They have integrated high brightness LED lights to hand dryers as to increase the ease and delight of use. The sensor of hand dryer can project a blue light. It allows user to clearly know the sensing range. A Red& Green LED light indicates the operating situation. Red means “stand by” and Green means “Running”.^[18]

In New Zealand the innovative company Eco Global markets the ecodrier which cleans the hands in under 10 seconds with four separate filter systems.

World Dryer have also released a two high speed hand dryers. These are "Airforce" and "Airmax". The "Airmax" claims to be the quietest hand dryer in its class and claims to dry your hands in just 15 seconds.^[19] While the "Airforce" claims to use 80% less power than a conventional hand dryer and dry your hands quickly. ^[20]

[edit] Manufacturers

List of manufacturers of hand dryers:

• Vortex
• Palmer Fixture
• Airdri
• American Dryer
• Dyson
• Excel Dryer
• World Dryer
• Hokwang Industries Co. Ltd.
• (http://www.ecodryer.co.nz Eco Dryer New Zealand Ltd )
• Mediclinics

[edit] See also

• Towel
• Paper towel

[edit] References

v • d • e Bathrooms Bathroom types Aircraft lavatory • Communal shower • Head (watercraft) • Outhouse • Rest area • Sanisette Specific bathrooms Ancient Bath House of Nazareth • Geibeltbad Pirna • Hamam al-Sammara • Porcelain Palace Toilets Accessible toilet • Blair toilet • Board toilet • Chemical toilet • Composting toilet • Flush toilet • Gender-neutral toilet • Hudo • Incinerating toilet • Latrine • Passenger train toilets • Pay toilet • Pit toilet • Portable toilet • Space toilet • Squat toilet Equipment Bathtub • Bidet • Hand dryer • Paper towel dispenser • Shower • Soap dispenser • Toilet brush • Toilet paper • Toilet roll holder • Toilet seat • Toilet seat cover • Towel • Urinal Employees Bathroom attendant • Janitor • Toilet granny Politics Birmingham Baths Committee • Committee to End Pay Toilets in America • Loo of the Year Award • Privatization of public toilets Related Bathroom privileges • Changeroom