Sanitary State Rep Wages Germ Warfare

June 9, 2007— -- Public bathrooms aren't known to be the cleanest or most sanitary places.

With those nasty germs in mind, a Massachusetts lawmaker has filed legislation that would require all new public bathrooms built in the Bay State to have doors that open outward without doorknobs.

The bill, filed by Franklin Democrat James Valle, was the subject of a committee meeting this week, and could soon move to the full House for an up or down vote and perhaps beyond.

"It makes pretty good sense," Valle told ABC News. "You go into a men's or lady's room, you clean yourself up, you wash your hands, and then you have to touch a doorknob that everyone else who just used the bathroom touched."

"It could be seen as paranoia," Valle said, "but it makes perfect sense to me."

Valle is carrying the legislation on behalf of a friend and fellow member of the Massachusetts National Gaurd, Douglas Flavin, who brought up his sanitary "pet peeve" during weekend training together.

"You wash your hand and you've got to grab the knob that some guy just had his pissy hand all over," Flavin said in an interview. "It's been annoying me for some time."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has flatly concluded that handwashing -- or lack thereof -- is the No. 1 source of spreading bacteria that infects millions of Americans each year with the cold, flu and other illnesses.

A 2005 survey by the American Society for Microbiology found that 91 percent of Americans say they wash their hands every time they use a public bathroom -- but only 83 percent were observed doing so.

Moreover, a whopping 68 percent of people, according to a study by the Soap and Detergent Association, do not wash their hands correctly to effectively remove dangerous bacteria. The CDC recommends a 20-second scrub that includes warm water, soap, and a thorough rinse.

For Valle, here's the bottom line: A lot of people get sick by passing bacteria from hand to hand and public bathrooms are places where germ-sharing is ripe to happen.

That's precisely why he believes the legislation has a chance, despite numerous other bills that may seem more critical to the welfare of Massachusetts residents.

"We have so many laws that protect public health," the state representative said. "And so many illnesses are passed through other people's germs."

Valle said the law, if signed by the governor's pen, would not require existing bathrooms to retrofit their doors to remove doorknobs and re-hang the doors -- a grandfather clause that might stave off opposition from the building unions.

"Maybe the the doorknob lobby, but not the builders," he said.

Flavin, the constituent who planted the seed for the bill and said he would use his shoulder to push open doors were the law to pass, said he hasn't met a person who told him it was a stupid idea.

And as for anyone criticizing the somehwat niche nature of the bill, he was well armed with a response.

"I've seen the legislature waste plenty of time on less worthwhile items," Flavin said.