NEW YORK (AP) — Boeing engineers think they have a solution for smelly, grimy airplane bathrooms: ultraviolet light.
The aircraft manufacturer has filed a patent for a self-cleaning lavatory that disinfects all surfaces in just three seconds.
Many passengers would welcome more sanitary airplane bathrooms, but they may have to wait a while to benefit from Boeing's technology.
Boeing's new bathroom design uses ultraviolet light to clean the bathroom between uses. The Chicago-based company says the system will take three seconds to clean the toilet seat, sink and countertop in an unoccupied lavatory. Boeing plans to use Far UV, which it says is different than the waves used in tanning beds and is not harmful to people.
Boeing says it still needs to study the idea further before offering it to airlines.
