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Reduce Your Chances of Contracting Pinkeye With TSA PreCheck

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    It turns out airport security trays are feculent.

    A recent study suggests that it’s more sanitary to put your shoes, phone, and laptop inside a toilet bowl than those grey TSA bins.  As a matter of fact, they’re the single germiest part of the airport!

    The study found viruses on 10% of all tested surfaces.  Most common were viruses for the common cold and flu.

    Other notably germy areas were shop payment terminals, staircase rails, and children’s play areas.

    Do You Know How to Best Avoid the Dirtiest Place in the Airport?

    It’s a little upsetting that the dirtiest part of the airport is the only real mandatory area for all passengers.  The solution seems simple (if inconvenient for TSA officers):   Clean the bins more often.

    In light of this study, professor of Health Protection, Jonathan Van Tram, reminds folks that they can “help to minimize contagion by hygienic hand washing and coughing into a handkerchief, tissue or sleeve at all times but especially in public places.”

    Here’s another way:   Dramatically reduce the amount of stuff you’re required to put into those soiled bins by enrolling in TSA PreCheck.

    With TSA PreCheck, you won’t have to take off your belt, jacket, or shoes.  You won’t need to remove your toiletries from your bag.  You won’t have to open your backpack and place your laptop in a separate filthy tray.

    A 5-year TSA PreCheck membership costs $85.  But there are plenty of ways to get it for free!  Several cards will reimburse the price of your TSA PreCheck application, including:

    TSA PreCheck is perhaps the most powerful way to prevent stool, phlegm, and respiratory viruses from latching onto your personal items.

    Hat Tip:   CNN

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    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)