We’ve all heard at least a few of the stories - you can drink urine because it’s sterile, or more recent one: hand dryers can harbor germs, and spread them around. This video from the American Society for Microbiology explores some of these ideas to help us discern fact from fiction.
In some cases, the truth can be a bit complicated, however. It has been shown, for example, that germs from the toilet can become airborne when it’s flushed. If your toothbrush is close by it is possible that it will collect some of those microbes. But, researchers that conducted a review of studies about toilet-to-toothbrush transmission noted that there have not been clear indications of the risk posed by such a process and whether it’s a health hazard.