COLORADO NEWS

CU Boulder engineers use laser light to see what happens when you flush a toilet

Feb 4, 2024, 10:50 AM

Well, this shines a whole new light on toilet flushing.

Engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder used lasers to show what comes up when you flush a commercial toilet. And, let’s just the results don’t appear pleasant.

The school news release called it a “spur-of-the-moment” experiment, which it published on December 8 in the journal, Scientific Reports.

Previous studies, like ones done at the University of Oklahoma and the Centers for Disease Control, have shown that all sorts of stuff gets blasted in the air from these flushes which can include fecal matter. pathogens, and water particles.

This laser light experiment confirms it. See below.


Colorado News

Snowy Mountains...

Fizz

Dog lost in Colorado’s high country for 43 days reunites with owner

You would not think a 10-year-old dog would have great odds after getting lost in Colorado’s high country in the dead of winter for 43 days—but Rocky is built different. […]

3 hours ago

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)...

Kathie J

Yes, you should water your lawn this winter

Should you water your lawn this winter? We haven’t had much snow. How does that factor into our lawns and plants? Yes, you should water your yard in Colorado during […]

6 hours ago

(Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

Mitchell Tenpenny set to headline Colorado’s Elizabeth Stampede this summer

It’s still February, but the summer of 2026 is shaping up to be one of the best in a long time for country music fans in Colorado. Here’s one you […]

1 day ago

Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Happy 31st birthday to the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic – Star says he plans to ‘play for a long time’

On the birthday of the greatest player to ever play for the franchise, Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets may have gotten the best news they’ve received in a long time! […]

1 day ago

Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Did you know you can get married as young as 16 in Colorado – Lawmakers look to change that

You can’t drink alcohol or gamble until you’re 21. You can’t vote until you’re 18… But in Colorado you can get married as young as 16-years-old. Is that too young? […]

1 day ago

Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

HOV lanes on I-25 north of Denver to start charging tolls in April

If you’ve driven a little north of Denver on I-25 between Berthoud and Fort Collins over the last year or so, you’ve been able to use the new third lane […]

1 day ago

CU Boulder engineers use laser light to see what happens when you flush a toilet