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Chasing Life

Why No One Should Ever Use Air Dryers in Public Bathroom

02 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 22.498 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Hey there, it's Sanjay. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a constantly evolving situation, and I know that can come with uncertainty and concerns. These types of viral outbreaks are something that my colleague Anderson Cooper and I have seen firsthand while reporting on the ground in Africa. And as always, we want to keep you informed.

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23.039 - 50.803 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

We want to answer your questions. So Anderson and I are going to be holding an interactive Q&A session all about Ebola, exclusively for CNN All Access subscribers. Go ahead, start submitting your questions now at cnn.com slash subscriber series, and we will answer them live on Wednesday, June 3rd at 5 p.m. Eastern. Hope to see you there. Welcome to Paging, Dr. Gupta.

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50.823 - 62.441 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Thank you so much for joining us. I love listening to all your comments and your questions. It really gives me a sense of what's on your mind. My producer, Jennifer, is back with us today. Who do we have first?

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63.282 - 70.974 Unknown

Hi, Sanjay. Today, we have a 14-year-old calling from Orlando, Florida, with a great question about bathroom air dryers.

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71.796 - 81.827 David

Hello, my name is David, and my question for the podcast is, are air dryers safe? Like, do they have a filter where they filter the bacteria out?

83.647 - 105.782 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Okay, David, 14-year-old David, thank you for calling in. That's a great question. Look, sometimes you've got to use a public restroom. I don't think anyone wants to do that, but sometimes it's just obviously inevitable. It may feel stressful because public restrooms may feel like they're full of pathogens, like bacteria, maybe even viruses.

106.383 - 125.066 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

So we know that we need to wash our hands after using the bathroom wherever we are. What you may not know is that it's also critically important to dry your hands after washing them, because it helps decrease the volume of germs on our hands, and also because bacteria can be spread way more easily when our hands are wet.

125.726 - 155.453 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Now, if you're in a public restroom, there are often several options to dry your hands afterward. Warm air dryer, jet air dryer, and or paper towels. Which is the most hygienic? We'll get into that after this short break. Okay, David, back to your question on the hygiene and safety of air dryers. So first of all, let's just start with some basics. How do air dryers work to dry our hands?

157.863 - 180.706 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Well, conventionally, there are two types of air dryers, traditional warm air dryers and jet air dryers. Both of them draw in the surrounding air. I'm going to come back to that point. But they both draw in the surrounding air through an electric motor in the dryer and In the traditional warm dryer, the air then goes through a heater and comes out a wide nozzle.

Chapter 2: What are the hygiene concerns with air dryers in public bathrooms?

337.447 - 362.02 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Among all the options, incidentally, jet air dryers had the worst hygiene performance. A 2015 study found that jet air dryers spread 60 times more viruses than hot air dryers and 1,300 times more than paper towel on average. So I know it's not necessarily great for the environment to be using paper towel, but if the question is simply about hygiene, then that's going to be your best bet.

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362.341 - 379.519 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

And one last tip before you go, carry some hand sanitizer with you in case there are only air dryers in any public restroom you find yourself in. David, I hope this answers your question about dryers, about how to keep your hands clean and dry when you walk out of a public restroom. Thanks so much for calling in.

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381.862 - 394.639 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Okay, we're going to take a quick break here, but when we come back, what to make of this growing trend of plasma donation across the country? What is it, and are there any potential health consequences? We'll get into it after the break.

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396.695 - 412.602 Michael Ian Black

Have I got news for your ears. The podcast. I am your host, Michael Ian Black. We're talking about Trump's stock trades, his IRS lawsuit, his slush fund. Bill Cassidy learns what happens when you cross Donald Trump.

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412.622 - 419.293 Unknown

Members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information.

419.628 - 433.172 Michael Ian Black

He never said presidents can't buy and sell stocks based on insider information. He didn't say that. Have I got news for your ears? Check us out on Apple, Amazon Music, wherever you get your podcasts. Even better, you can watch the vodcast on Spotify.

436.979 - 441.467 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

And we are back with Paging Dr. Gupta. Jennifer, who do we have next?

442.038 - 455.72 Unknown

Okay, Sanjay, we have a nurse practitioner asking about plasma donation. Now, she's seeing a growing number of people in her community requesting medical authorization to donate plasma. So here's what she wants to know.

455.76 - 469.362 Deepa

Hi, Dr. Sanjay. My name is Deepa. I am writing a question regarding the increasing trend of plasma donation in our community. I would like to know, better understand the reasons behind this surge.

Chapter 3: How do traditional and jet air dryers work?

775.724 - 795.792 Dr. Sanjay Gupta

So keep them coming. We might just answer your question on our next show. Reach out to us. Record a voice memo. Email it to pagingdrgupta at cnn.com. That's pagingdrgupta at cnn.com. Or give us a call, 470-396-0832, and leave a message. Thanks for listening.

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799.349 - 812.667 Derek Van Dam

This is CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, thrilled to introduce the new CNN Weather app. Be prepared for anything with comprehensive coverage from real experts like me. Download the CNN Weather app on iOS today.

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814.064 - 833.466 Anderson Cooper

Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. As Ken Burns said on an earlier podcast, the half-life of grief is endless. Mariska Hargitay knows that very well. Jane Mansfield was killed in a car crash in 1967. Mariska was in the car with her.

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833.827 - 843.818 Anderson Cooper

After decades spent coming to terms with her past and wanting to learn more about the mother she doesn't remember, Mariska has made a remarkable documentary called My Mom Jane.

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843.798 - 859.933 Mariska Hargitay

Our vulnerability is our greatest strength and our greatest connector. And so in telling the story, I don't feel vulnerable. I feel free. We all have a story, and you never know what somebody else carries.

860.834 - 869.923 Anderson Cooper

Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

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