We're never leaving the toilet lid up again after seeing how far germs fly

Scientists have been demonstrating just how many germs are thrown into the air when you leave the the lid up and flush the toilet.

In the clip, droplets can be seen shooting out at speeds of 6.6 feet per second, reaching 4.9 feet above the toilet within eight seconds.

"If it's something you can't see, it's easy to pretend it doesn't exist", says lead author, Professor John Crimaldi.

"But once you see these videos, you're never going to think about a toilet flush the same way again."

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