Imagine rushing to the loo to relieve yourself, about to finish, and finding that you’re out of the tissue. What a fix! You may get confused about how to clean up your behind, but you still can’t figure out how. The thought of using water feels dirty, yet you have no choice but to get clean. is toilet paper bad for you?
After the whole ordeal of using water to clean feces and the scary face you’re making, can you believe you just did what the doctor recommends as best practice? Use water after bathroom breaks, and you’ll be free of the harmful effects of tissue paper.
Toilet paper has been around for a long, and you freak out when you run out of some. However, we’re the bearers of bad news about it. Doctors are emphasizing that using tissue paper is unhygienic and can cause infections. Using a loo roll is not the best for you because it’s made with harsh chemicals, leaves feces behind, can worsen fissures, and cause urinary tract infections.
Let’s explore why toilet paper is not good for you with proper reasoning!
Is it better to wash or use toilet paper?
Using dry tissue leaves a residue of stool and bacteria and causes anal tears. However, using a bidet cleans off all dirt, leaving you clean and fresh.
You can also install a small shower device beside the toilet for people to use instead of the unfamiliar toilet paper. Washing is more refreshing in a way that tissue can never be.
Before you adapt to washing, read the label on a tissue to find out whether it’s bleached or made from recycled content. Now, you may wonder, is toilet paper bad for the environment? Yes, it’s disturbing how many mature trees go to waste to make tissue.
Thinking about the environment might convince you to cross over to the side of the washers and help save the environment.
Are there bad chemicals in toilet paper?
When shopping, tissue is probably the first item on your cart, lest you forget. The thought of tissue hurting you might have never crossed your mind, and you might wonder why is toilet paper toxic.
You might think we’re tarnishing the utility, yet you buy the softest and whitest. It doesn’t matter how soft or attractive your favorite tissue is because the truth is that it’s dangerous to your health.
Is recycled toilet paper bad for you?
Some tissue brands recycle their product, but it’s safe and hygienic. You’ll never know whether it’s recycled because the quality is the same as normal tissue.
However, there’s a concern because recycled tissue can contain a harmful industrial chemical known as BPA.
The presence of BPA in toilet paper in significant amounts can affect fertility. It’s linked to heart disease and other health issues. Bisphenol A or BPA is in mostly found in plastic containers, toiletries, receipts and household electronics and shipping labels.
If the papers in these products are used to make toilet paper, there’ll be traces of BPA. On a brighter note, the minute amounts of BPA in recycled toilet rolls aren’t sufficient to trigger health issues.
Touching receipts or drinking from plastic bottles can expose you to more BPA than using recycled toilet rolls. Therefore, recycled toilet roll is safe for you, but ensure that you buy trusted brands.
Is toilet paper dust bad for you?
A study examined how exposure to toilet paper dust can cause negative respiratory effects. The minuscule nature of the dust particles plays a significant role in the severity of these effects; minute dust particles are more dangerous to the respiratory system into the respiratory tract. Dust is in three categories, namely, respirable, thoracic, and inhalable. Here is the detailed explanation of these three
- Respirable dust – The most minute and most dangerous. Its diameter is less than 10, and it’s tiny enough to enter your nose and go past your respiratory tract into your lungs.
- Thoracic dust – With a diameter of fewer than 25 microns, it can’t reach your lungs but can go as far as the bronchi.
- Inhalable particles – Their diameter is below 100 microns. It’s too big to go past the nose, but it remains in the nasal passages and is trapped by mucous.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can you get a UTI from toilet paper?
You can get UTIs from toilet paper, especially scented brands because they irritate the urethra. Now, you may wonder, is toilet paper with lotion bad for you? Yes, any rolls with lotions or scents are likely to cause infections. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is annoying and can turn severe if not treated early enough. Personal hygiene products, including tissue, may contain harmful chemicals that trigger allergies in sensitive areas.
Which brand of toilet paper breaks down the fastest?
Scott 1,000 is a single-ply tissue paper that breaks down faster than others. It shards in 15 minutes, and you can’t scoop it out. Using a 1-ply toilet paper is better because it’s light.
Can paper dust cause health problems?
Paper dust can cause health problems because its aerodynamic diameter is quickly airborne. This is to say, anytime there’s frequent use of paper sends dust to the air, which people can breathe in copiously to cause respiratory problems.
Is using toilet paper better than water?
Using toilet paper to wipe your butt doesn’t clean you entirely and may also contain bleach. Tissue paper leaves a residue that can trigger health conditions like UTIs. Read the ingredients on the bathroom roll packaging so that you may buy bleach and formaldehyde-free toilet paper to avoid exposure to chemicals. This makes washing a better option as it’s more gentle than wiping with toilet paper, which is dry.
Some women have concerns about destabilizing the pH of the vagina, but unless the water is a high-powered water jet that can shoot up to the uterus, there’s nothing to worry about. Washing doesn’t cause tears or expose you to bleach, which is harmful to the skin.
How do you know if toilet paper is septic-safe?
You’ll know if toilet paper is septic-safe if it dissolves rapidly in water, meaning it’s biodegradable. A biodegradable toilet paper deconstructs quickly upon exposure to water. Once you flush biodegradable tissue paper, the bonds break down, dissolving faster. This way, it doesn’t clog the septic, saving you the hassle of always calling septic companies and money.
The Verdict
Toilet paper is bad for you because it doesn’t clean all dirt after a bowel movement, and it’s dry. Leaving residue behind creates a favorable environment to harbor bacteria, triggering infections like UTIs.
Toilet paper also contains chemical traces that can be harmful if exposed to significant amounts. To this effect, doctors recommend using water to clean up after a bathroom visit because it leaves you clean and unhurt, unlike typical toilet rolls.
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