Closing the toilet lid does not prevent viral contamination of restroom surfaces, phage MS2 study finds

University of Arizona researchers, with a co-author from Reckitt (Lysol and Dettol), flushed household and public toilets seeded with bacteriophage MS2, a surrogate for human enteric viruses. Contamination of restroom surfaces did not depend on lid position, and cleaning the bowl with a brush and a commercial product cut contamination of the bowl water by more than 4 log10; the authors suggest disinfecting all restroom surfaces after flushing.