(CNN) — What's the most germ-filled spot in an airport? The bathrooms? Those crowded waiting areas? The passport checking counter? 
 
 Surprisingly, none of the above. 
 
 A new study from a team of experts from the UK's University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, published in the BMC Infectious Diseases journal, has revealed those airport security plastic trays are the biggest culprit for spreading germs in airports. 
 
 So next time you're dumping your phone, passport and laptop into the tray -- it might be worth having the hand sanitizer handy. 
 
 Revealing study 
 
 The team monitored germ levels on a variety of surfaces at Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland during the winter of 2016. 
 
 Germaphobes who travel will be horrified to find out they found evidence of viruses on 10% of all the surfaces they tested. Other germ hotspots were shop payment terminals, staircase rails, passport checking counters, children's play areas and -- unavoidably -- in the air. 
 
 There was evidence of rhinovirus -- the cause of the common cold -- plus some signs of influenza. 
 
 Surprisingly, their swabs didn't detect respiratory viruses on the toilet surfaces. 
 
 "This study supports the case for improved public awareness of how viral infections spread," said Professor of Health Protection, Jonathan Van Tram, from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, in a statement. 
 
 "People can help to minimize contagion by hygienic hand washing and coughing into a handkerchief, tissue or sleeve at all times but especially in public places." 
 
 Next time you're dumping your stuff in the security trays, best have that hand sanitzer nearby. Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/Getty Images 
 
 His team-partner, virology expert Niina Ikonen from the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, added: "The results also provide new ideas for technical improvements in airport design and refurbishment." 
 
 At the end of the study, the team suggest that airports could provide "hand sanitization opportunities where intense, repeat touching of surfaces takes place such as immediately before and after security screening." 
 
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 It's also suggested that the trays -- and other frequently touched surfaces -- could be cleaned more regularly. 
 
 The study pointed out that handling the plastic security trays is almost inevitable for travelers -- unlike using airport store payment points, for example. 
 
 On board 
 
 Even if you avoid airport germs, previous studies have shown airplanes are equally as dirty. 
 
 2015 study from Travelmath reported that the tray table was the number one offender, with overhead air vents also among the most germ-filled surfaces. 
 
 Of course, interacting with these surfaces, whether before you fly or on board, is no guarantee of picking up a virus. ||||| Next time you go through airport security, you may want to wash your hands afterwards. A new study finds airport security bins are a hotbed for germs that can cause illnesses in humans, such as the flu and the common cold. 
 
 Researchers from the University of Nottingham in England and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare collected samples from frequently touched surfaces three different times at Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland during peak flu season in 2015 and 2016. 
 
 Half of the trays at security check points tested positive for germs that can make humans ill, including influenza A and rhinovirus, the predominant cause of the common cold. 
 
 None of these germs were found on the surfaces of toilets at the airport, the report found. 
 
 The results were published last week in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases. 
 
 The researchers say the results make sense given that the security process is mandatory for all passengers and the plastic security trays are "rapidly recycled and potentially touched by several hundred passengers per day." 
 
 "We found the highest frequency of respiratory viruses on plastic trays used in security check areas for depositing hand-carried luggage and personal items," the scientists wrote. "These boxes typically cycle with high frequency to subsequent passengers, and are typically seized with a wide palm surface area and strong grip." Additionally, plastic security trays are made of non-porous materials, allowing viruses to live longer. 
 
 Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CBS News it's easy to see how the trays could pick up germs. "A passenger has a virus and they breathe down into them they can deposit a little bit of virus along with their shoes and luggage into the bin," he said. 
 
 However, he notes that the cold and flu are mostly spread through the air. 
 
 "Someone has the virus and breathes it out. I'm within three feet and I breathe it in. That is how these viruses are spread," said Schaffner, who was not involved in the research. 
 
 Steering clear of the germs while traveling 
 
 Other surfaces that tested positive for sickness-inducing germs in the study include handrails of stairs, the desk and divider glass at the passport control point, and a plastic toy in a children's play area. 
 
 The researchers note that risk of spreading illnesses in airports can be improved by offering hand sanitizer to passengers before and after security screenings and increasing the frequency of wiping down plastic luggage bins. 
 
 "This knowledge helps in the recognition of hot spots for contact transmission risk, which could be important during an emerging pandemic threat or severe epidemic," they write. 
 
 The authors say the fact that they didn't detect any respiratory viruses on toilets in the study is not really surprising, "as passengers may pay particular attention to limiting touch and to hand hygiene, in a washroom environment." 
 
 Of course, not everyone who comes in contact with germy surfaces at an airport will end up getting stick. Still, your best bet to avoid illness is to wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water. The CDC recommends scrubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds, or the equivalent of humming the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice. 
 
 If soap and water is not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. ||||| The team set out to identify and quantify the respiratory viruses on frequently-touched surfaces in airports. They found evidence of viruses on 10 per cent of the surfaces tested and most commonly on the plastic trays that are circulated along the passenger queue at the hand luggage X-ray checkpoint. 
 
 The study was carried out by a team of experts from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare who swabbed a variety of surfaces at Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland during the winter of 2016. 
 
 The plastic trays used at airport security checkpoints have been found to harbour the highest levels of viruses at airports, in a new scientific investigation by pandemic experts. 
 
 Click here for full story 
 
 The investigation, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, concludes that hand washing and careful coughing hygiene are crucial to the control of contagious infections in public areas with high volumes of people passing through. 
 
 The study was part of a larger EU-funded research project called PANDHUB which explored the role of airports and other traffic hubs in the spread of serious infections. The findings add weight to previous studies showing that microbes are commonly found on surfaces in public transport vehicles and will strengthen public health advice in preparation for future flu pandemics. 
 
 At Helsinki-Vantaa airport, the highest concentration of viruses was detected on the security check plastic trays with further viruses detected on shop payment terminals, staircase rails, passport checking counters, children’s play areas and in the air. 
 
 The most common virus found in the survey was rhinovirus, which causes the common cold but the swabs also picked up the influenza A virus. Interestingly, no respiratory viruses were found on toilet surfaces. 
 
 Professor of Health Protection, Jonathan Van Tam, from the University’s School of Medicine, said: “This study supports the case for improved public awareness of how viral infections spread. People can help to minimise contagion by hygienic hand washing and coughing into a hankerchief, tissue or sleeve at all times but especially in public places. These simple precautions can help prevent pandemics and are most important in crowded areas like airports that have a high volume of people travelling to and from many different parts of the world.” 
 
 Virology expert Niina Ikonen from the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare said: “The presence of microbes in the environment of an airport has not been investigated previously. The new findings support preparedness planning for controlling the spread of serious infectious diseases in airports. The results also provide new ideas for technical improvements in airport design and refurbishment.” 
 
 The airport study was carried out during and after peak passenger density at the airport by a method which detects genetic material from viruses on surfaces and in the air. The results provided by this method do not prove that the viruses found on surfaces and air are alive and cause disease, but previous experimental research has proven that many microbes survive on various surface materials up to several days. 
 
 — Ends — 
 
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– You probably wash your hands after using the airport bathroom—but what about after going through the security line? You might want to start, because a new study from the UK's University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that those trays you put your belongings in as you go through security had more cold germs on them than airport toilets, the New York Times reports. Researchers analyzed a variety of surfaces at Finland's Helsinki-Vantaa airport during peak flu season in 2015-16 and found evidence of respiratory viruses (including the common cold, influenza, and others) on 10% of them, CNN reports. But researchers highlight the security trays as the biggest risk, with 50% of them having respiratory virus germs on them. Respiratory virus germs were also found on surfaces in the children's play area, payment terminals, stair handrails, and a desk and divider glass at the passport check area. No respiratory virus germs were found on toilets—a finding referred to as "interesting" in a press release. "People can help to minimize contagion by hygienic hand washing and coughing into a hankerchief, tissue or sleeve at all times but especially in public places," says a researcher. "These simple precautions can help prevent pandemics and are most important in crowded areas like airports that have a high volume of people travelling to and from many different parts of the world." Researchers also suggest airports install hand sanitization stations near areas of "intense, repeat touching of surfaces."