Key Takeaways

Air in hospitals and airplane cabins is generally free of disease-causing germs, study says

Most microbes found were harmless ones associated with human skin

Researchers analyzed the outside of face masks and an airplane filter

FRIDAY, Dec. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Germophobes can breathe a little easier when visiting a hospital or taking an airplane trip, a new study says.

The ambient air on planes and in hospitals mostly contains harmless microbes typically associated with human skin, researchers reported Dec. 4 in the journal Microbiome .

The cutting-edge study analyzed germ samples captured on the outer surface of face masks worn by air travelers and health care workers, researchers said.

“We realized that we could use face masks as a cheap, easy air-sampling

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