Do toilet seat covers really protect us from anything or are they a waste of paper?
It is very unlikely to catch diseases from toilet seats. Whatever germs are on the toilet seat surface are very unlikely to infect or contaminate the thigh or buttock skin and sexually transmitted infections are just that — sexually transmitted and not transmitted from toilet seats. Therefore, toilet seats covers are really only offering some peace of mind when one is using a visibly dirty toilet. I should note that a University of Arizona microbiology team tested a dozen office surfaces including the bathroom. The scientists found that phone receivers had 25,000 bacteria per square inch, while toilet seats had only 49 bacteria per square inch. So there are areas to be more concerned about catching germs from than toilet seats. (Read more about the University of Arizona study: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/07/01/1143577.htm?site=science/gre Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health at UCLA; Director,
