Toilet seat cover
Encyclopedia
A toilet seat cover also known as a party hat, (colloquially called an ass-gasket) is a disposable piece of paper shaped like the toilet seat
Toilet seat
A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which may be contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use.If the toilet is located in a home...

 itself that can be placed on the seat by its user. Its purpose is to protect the toilet's user from germs
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...

 that may be resting on the seat, though scientific studies have cast doubt on the cover's value.

Use

While toilet seat covers give public toilet users a sense of security, studies have shown they do not really protect a toilet user from disease. Nevertheless, the likelihood of catching a serious illness when using a toilet without one is low.

It is doubtful if toilet seat covers are really needed in order to protect a public toilet's user from disease. The cover is useless if the seat is wet, as the liquid on the seat will seep through the paper cover along with whatever germs it contains. But the part of the body that makes contact with the toilet seat is not an entry point for germs into the body unless the toilet's user has an open wound.

Toilet seat covers are used in women's rooms more often than in men's rooms because men generally urinate while standing, while women usually prefer to sit.

Versions

In 2007, businesswoman Jacquie Edwards of Newtonmore
Newtonmore
Newtonmore is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of about 1000. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre of Scotland...

 developed a biodegradeable
Biodegradation
Biodegradation or biotic degradation or biotic decomposition is the chemical dissolution of materials by bacteria or other biological means...

 toilet seat cover.

In 2008, Mulundu Mulijo of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

 invented a toilet seat cover that can be flushed like toilet paper
Toilet paper
Toilet paper is a soft paper product used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as blowing one's nose when one has a cold or absorbing common spills around the house, although paper towels are more used for the latter...

 after each use. The cover is useless unless the seat is dry upon its application.

Laws

In 2009, legislators in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

rejected legislation that would have required toilet seat covers be placed in all restrooms. The bill was turned down because there is no evidence they protect against disease.
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