From Toby Saville, Dyson
Your article on hand-drying implied that paper towels are more hygienic than air dryers (18 September, p 17). However, the study you reported was not designed to look at how many microbes get left on the skin by different drying techniques, rather to illustrate how residual moisture left through incomplete drying transfers them to other surfaces. There was no attempt to identify species of bacteria removed – many bacteria found on the skin are harmless and needed to protect the skin. This subject is very much still open to debate.
Importantly, your article did not distinguish between the performances of the three electrical dryers tested. Unlike the two warm-air machines, which evaporate water, the Dyson Airblade produces sheets of filtered air that dry hands completely in 10 seconds, with no rubbing required. And unlike the warm-air hand dryers, the Airblade reduced rather than increased bacterial counts on hands when used as intended.
The report concluded that the short drying time of the Dyson Airblade should encourage more people to dry their hands properly, reducing the spread of infection.
Malmesbury, Wiltshire, UK
