The quote is somewhat exaggerated but mostly true. I've even found the public toilets to be incredibly clean. While it is possible to occasionally find older porcelain squat toilets they are becoming very rare.
Or you get a squatter toilette. Also you need to bring your own paper for a lot of public toilettes. Though it has been almost 20 years since I last visited. At the time I wondered why they handed out so many advertising Kleenex travel size packs. It was for the train station bathroom.
Oh, that's just American weirdness. Toilets in most of the rest of the world are saner. They also typically have a proper seat, instead of the U shape required by law in many places in the US.
It’s included by reference as part of the universal plumbing code. There isn’t a “toilet seat act of 1927” or something.
The original intent was to make it easier for women to clean the perineal area without contacting a surface, and reduces genital contact with a surface.
How do I know this? My wife was on a safety committee in a past job where there was a workplace injury claim related to this topic. In our case, there was an automated toilet cover dispenser, which made the round seat code compliant.
> Toilets in most of the rest of the world are saner. They also typically have a proper seat
Rest of the world? What about the places with squat toilets? Those are common in many places in the "rest of the world", and they don't even have seats!
It's also just, really damn effective. If you are ever having trouble squeezing one out on our antiquated and stupidly un-designed porcelain throne, get your legs higher so you are closer to squatting, and consider investing in a stool to put your feet on.
The rest of the world also has no problem with bidets, here in the US we prefer smearing it around with paper like peanut butter until it’s good enough
The last time I saw a serious study on the issue, which did include lid testing, the lid did little to stop the spray. It just blows out from the sides under the seat.
Probably with one way valves so they can flush despite the seal. I agree with the idea that it is probably not a big deal. Good for headlines grossing people out, but probably a non-issue for average humans with functioning immune systems.
And they never have a lid you can close to avoid the spray.