US physicists unlocks mystery of ‘splashback’

Despite being teased by colleagues, two scientists at Brigham Young University are studying male urine “splashback” and the hygiene problem it creates for others using the same toilet facilities. Researchers Tadd Truscott and Randy Hurd jokingly call themselves the whizz kids, but their research is very serious. They are trying to understand how men can prevent splashback during urination that often leads to a dramatic increase in bacterial growth in bathrooms that can affect health.

The duo actually constructed something they called a urination stimulator rather than do their research live in men’s rooms. The results indicated that male urine spray begins to break up into water droplets about 7 inches after it leaves the body and it is these droplets of liquid that create the undesired urine “splashback” effect. Their unusual study concluded that men could largely avoid the “splashback” problem if they sat down while urinating rather than standing up. If standing up, men should avoid targeting their stream of urine directly at the urinal wall but should change the angle of their urine stream to be as low as possible for minimal impact. The scientists also discovered that placing some toilet tissue into the bowl helps minimize “splash back.”

“The male urine stream breaks up about 6-7 inches outside the urethra exit,” Mr Hurd explained.

“So by the time it hits the urinal, it’s already in droplet form. And these droplets are the perpetrators of the splash formation on your khaki pants.”

His advice? “The closer you are, the better. If you can get stream impact with the porcelain, it’s a lot less chaotic.”

On The Web:
Physicists probe urination ‘splashback’ problem
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24820279