- Swab tests have revealed how many germs live in UK cinemas
- The seats harbored an average of 1,864 colonies of bacteria in a single seat.
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With rain forecast across much of the UK this weekend, many Brits will be planning a cozy trip to the cinema.
But a new study may encourage you to carry a disinfectant spray along with your snacks.
Swab tests have revealed how many germs live and grow in movie theaters.
Experts discovered huge colonies of bacteria and mold hidden in both the seats and cupholders; Some chairs harbor 14 times more bugs than the average toilet.
‘Note to self: bring hand sanitizer to photos (and maybe a hazmat suit)!’ Betway said.
With rain forecast across much of the UK this weekend, many Brits will be planning a cozy trip to the cinema. But a new study may encourage you to carry disinfectant spray along with your snacks (file image)
Experts discovered huge colonies of bacteria and mold hidden in both the seats and cupholders; some partitions harbor 14 times more insects than the average toilet.
In their study, the team took samples from five seats and five cupholders in five cinemas across the UK, before sending them to a microbiology laboratory for testing.
They also sampled and tested three toilet seats for comparison.
Seat swabs revealed an average of 1,864 bacteria colonies on a single seat, 14 times more than the average number on the toilet seat.
“Obviously, seat cleanliness will vary between different cinemas, not to mention seat styles and fabrics,” Betway explained.
«We won’t name names, but in the dirtiest movie seat we tested there were around 3,000 colonies of bacteria living in it.
“On the other hand, the cleanest movie theater seat had only 80 bacteria colonies, which is about 55 times less than the average toilet seat.”
The cupholders were found to be even dirtier than the seats.
On average, a cup holder contained 2,396 bacteria colonies, 18 times more than a toilet, and mold was even found in at least one cup holder tested.
On average, a cup holder contained 2,396 bacteria colonies, 18 times more than a toilet, and mold was even found in at least one cup holder tested.
Seat swabs revealed an average of 1,864 bacteria colonies on a single seat, 14 times more than the average number on the toilet seat (file image)
Digging deeper into the analysis, the researchers identified four main microbes lurking in movie theaters.
Staphylococcus and micrococcus, the types of bacteria found on human skin, were found in all the cinema seats tested, while bacillus was found in all the cup holders.
Meanwhile, Pseudomonas was found living in several seats and cup holders, and there was mold in one cup holder.
“Most of these bacteria are harmless and tend to be found in almost all environments around us, so they should not be of great concern,” Betway said.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to avoid bringing germs home from the theater, such as washing your hands, taking off your shoes, and changing your clothes as soon as you get home.
“With so many great movies coming out this year, we don’t want to completely put you off the movie experience,” Betway added.
“Just make sure you follow basic hygiene rules, so all you see is a blockbuster.”
Digging deeper into the analysis, the researchers identified four main microbes lurking in movie theaters.