Flushing the loo is not something we think about at all. It is an automatic postscript to number one and number two.
But recent studies have shown that the whirlpool at the bottom of the loo can create an invisible cloud of danger in the bathroom. It is called a plume and it can distribute a small storm of bacteria and viruses into the privy, settling on anything in its path.
When you press flush, the water washes out the bowl. Research has shown that the force from flushing can send aerosols, tiny particles of water and whatever else was in the bowl, shooting up almost 1.5 metres into the air. That is nose-and-mouth height for many.
