Mobiles have more germs than toilets

[Abdali]

Mobile phones can harbour 18 times more living bacteria than a flush on a men's toilet, a study says.

A hygiene expert who swabbed and analysed 30 handsets for the study found seven had warning or high levels of environmental bacteria.

One harboured levels of bacteria, including faecal coliforms, high enough to give its user a serious stomach upset.

Which? said the findings suggest millions of UK mobiles would exceed the recommended acceptable levels of bacteria.

While not immediately harmful, elevated levels indicate poor hygiene and can act as a breeding ground for more serious bacteria.

Hygiene expert Jim Francis told Which?: 'The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale. That phone needs sterilising.'

The tests showed how easily bacteria could linger on the surface of a phone, which could be passed on to other people if they held the handset to look at photos or other applications.

Which? advises that phones can be cleaned with an alcohol wipe.

Source = Taken from an Aussie site.Sky News: Mobiles have more germs than toilets

[Tamara]

ewww..good to know, thanks for sharing

[IamDZJ]

i de sanitize mine along with my ipod at least twice a week.

[Roshina]

That's very interesting! However, I have many problems with the study. For example, the title goes "Mobiles have more germs than toilets." It doesn't say, "... CAN have more germs than ...," which is what the first line of the article reads.

Mobile phones can harbour 18 times more living bacteria than a flush on a men's toilet, a study says.

Then,

A hygiene expert who swabbed and analysed 30 handsets for the study found seven had warning or high levels of environmental bacteria.

30 handsets only? I'm not sure if that's enough a sample to make a claim like this one!

The study also fails to mention who the users were that they tested -- where they lived, where they usually kept their phones, how often they carried it in their hands, etc.

But it's something important to keep in mind nonetheless!