In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 19 as World Toilet Day to raise awareness about the human right to water and sanitation. On this note, let’s have a look at some facts about toilets you might not have known.
-Contrary to popular belief, the toilet seat is the cleanest part in the bathroom since most people take great care to ensure its clean before sitting on it, according to University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba. The bathroom door handle is also a less germ-infested part, since bacteria cannot thrive on cold, dry surfaces for long.
-In a 2010 study, the American Society for Microbiology established women have cleaner sanitary habits than men. The study found that only 77 per cent males washed their hands before leaving the bathroom, as compared to 93 per cent of females.
Unfolding the facts
-According to a 2015 U.N. report, an estimated 2.4 billion people worldwide lack access to a toilet, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.4.
-More people in the world have mobile phones than toilets, according to the United Nations.
-There is an entire museum dedicated to toilets in India. The Sulabh International Museum of Toilets in New Delhi has a vast collection of rare objects, pictures and facts detailing the historic evolution of toilets over the past 4,500 years.
-Separate toilets were offered to males and females for the first time during a high-society ball in Paris in 1739.
-An average person uses the toilet 2,500 times in a year and for about 20 minutes a day. Thus, across an average lifespan of 80 years, a person would have spent almost 13 months of his/her life on the toilet seat.
-The first cubicle in a row at a public urinal is generally the least used and subsequently the cleanest. This is because people seek privacy and prefer to use the last cubicle.
-The first cubicle in a row at a public urinal is generally the least used and subsequently the cleanest. This is because people seek privacy and prefer to use the last cubicle.
-This one’s for those who fancy flushing money straight down the toilet. A toilet paper roll made from 22-carat gold went on sale in 2013. Sold by the Australian company Toilet Paper Man, it was priced at a whopping $1,376,900.
-The Kowloon shop of Hong Kong-based Hang Fung Gold Technology has one of the most expensive washrooms in the world—featuring a luxurious toilet made of solid 24-carat gold and coated with gems. Even the sink, tiles and doors of the restroom are made of solid gold. The entire set-up was valued at $29 million in 2010.
-Across the world, the toilet has been called by several unusual names like outhouse, dunny, garderobe, necessary, privy, place of easement and water closet. Ancient Israelites called it “house of honor,” while early Egyptians named it “house of morning.
-NASA spent $19 million for a Russian-built toilet system for the International Space Station. This toilet transfers urine to a device that converts it into drinking waterBefore the invention of toilet paper, French royalty used lace.
Source:MSN.com