Normally when I take the London Underground, I stand - unless of course its a long journey. I didn't really ever have much of a reason, I just figured I'd be more likely to avoid contact with other human beings that way. However, this little piece of (possibly spam?) mail seems to imply my subconcious is telling me these things for a reason:
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During Autumn of 2000, a team of scientists at the Department of Forensicsat University College London removed a row of passenger seats from a Central Line tube carriage for analysis into cleanliness. Despite London Underground's claim that the interior of their trains are cleaned on a regular basis, the scientists made some alarming discoveries. The analysis was broken down. This is what was found on the surface of the seats:
* 4 types of hair sample (human, mouse, rat, dog)
* 7 types of insect (mostly fleas, mostly alive)
* vomit originating from at least 9 separate people
* human urine originating from at least 4 separate people
* human excrement
* rodent excrement
* human semen
*
* When the seats were taken apart, they found:
* the remains of 6 mice
* the remains of 2 large rats
* 1 previously unheard of fungus
It is estimated that by holding one of the armrests, you are transferring, to your body, the natural oils and sweat from as many as 400 different people. It is estimated that it is generally healthier to smoke five cigarettes a day than to travel for one hour a day on the London Underground. It is far more hygienic to wipe your hand on the inside of a recently flushed toilet bowl before eating, than to wipe your hand on a London Underground seat before eating. It is estimated that, within London, more work sick-days are taken because of bugs picked up whilst travelling on the London Underground than for any other reason (including alcohol).
xxxxxx xxxxxxxx
Research Executive
UK ad hoc
www.isisresearch.com
xxxxxxx@isisresearch.com
tel: 0208 xxxxxxx
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I'd really like to find a way of verifying some of this, although maybe its best not to. I'm lucky enough to manage to avoid the tube most of the time lately, however when I do travel, guess which line I usually use...