Your TV has a remote control so that you can channel surf from a sofa on the opposite side of the room. Toilets? Not so much.

It might be time to create a flushing remote. For public toilets, anyway.

Chinese researchers warn that flushing a public toilet might be fraught with danger. That’s because it releases a mist of invisible, bacteria-laden water droplets that can enter our lungs and sicken us.

Investigators say they measured bacterial exposures exceeding World Health Organization safety guidelines. That means public restrooms might pose a higher infection risk, particularly for people with weakened immune systems.

The scientists tested restroom air looking for staph bacteria, which is found on the skin and airways, and E. coli, which lives in our intestines.

Multiple flushes apparently add to the risk, further stirring up a menacing miasma.

It doesn’t take a malfunctioning toilet to release this bacterial cloud. If your mind’s eye pictures an eruption like the Old Faithful geyser, think again. Most of the droplets that carry bacteria are as small as 4.7 micrometers.

That’s smaller than a red blood cell and invisible to the eye. It’s also light enough to float easily on the air and deep into the lungs.

Other studies have shown that even a closed toilet lid can allow aerosols to escape. And, of course, most public toilets are without one.

Researchers note that good bathroom ventilation can help lessen the risk.

Whatever you do, don’t flush and run like a mad bomber scampering away from a lit fuse. Restroom floors can be slippery. One would guess rolling around the bathroom floor is as unhealthy as a flush.