Over 1.6 million Americans lack access to full plumbing, with Alaska having the highest rate of households without it. Globally, 1 billion people have no access to sanitation. People use the bathroom 2,500 times a year on average, and only 1 in 20 wash their hands for the recommended time. Older toilets use up to 7 liters of water per flush, while modern ones use around 1.5 liters.
You probably think nothing of entering a fully functional bathroom, at home or away, but if so, you’re not one of the more than 1.6 million Americans who lack such access. According to the American Community Survey, as of 2014, nearly 630,000 U.S. households lacked full plumbing—that is, a shower or bathtub, hot and cold running water, and a flush toilet.
Alaska has the highest rate of households without full plumbing, and approximately 9,500 Alaskan households have no plumbing at all. At the other extreme, Floridians can boast that 99.8 percent of homes offer at least running water.
Globally, of course, the lack of sanitation is an even more serious problem. According to The Week, as of 2015, an estimated 1 billion people – 13% of the world – had no choice but to defecate in the open.
Some bathroom reading:
On average, people use the bathroom about 2,500 times a year, for a total of three years in their life.
Research shows that only 1 in 20 people wash their hands for the recommended 15 seconds, and 20% don’t wash their hands at all after using the toilet.
Older toilets (those manufactured before 1980) use up to seven liters of water in a single flush, but modern toilets use much less, at around 1.5 litres.
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