~*Belle 2003*~
<font color=navy>I used to be indecisive, but now
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- Jan 6, 2003
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Office workers who eat at their desks are exposed to more germs from their phones and keyboards than toilet seats, researchers have found.
A combinaton of crumbs building up over weeks and a lack of thorough cleaning means that the average work station contain nearly 400 times as many microbes than toilets, it is claimed.
The grim reality of our grubby working environments is exposed in a study by the University of Arizona.
Top of the list for offenders is the telephone, which harbours up to 25,127 microbes per square inch - mainly because it is passed between people. Next filthiest is the desk, which is capable of supporting 10 million microbes - an average of 20,961 microbes per square inch. Keyboards come third with 3,295 microbes, followed by computer mice with 1,676.
By contrast, the average toilet seat contains 49 microbes per square inch, the survey showed.
Microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba, of the University of Arizona, who carried out the research, said: "When someone is infected with a cold or flu bug the surfaces they touch during the day become germ transfer points because some cold and flu viruses can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours.
"An office can become an incubator."
Dr Gerba's study found bacteria levels increased drastically during the day, peaking after lunch.
Food spills, such as tea and biscuits, can support mini eco-systems, but cleaning of keyboards and phones is not always given high priority.
Dr Gerba said: "Without cleaning, a small area on your desk of phone can sustain millions of bacteria that could potentially cause illness."
The study found that where office workers who were told to clean their desks with disinfecting wipes, bacterial levels were reduced by 99 per cent.
British microbiologist Professor Sally Bloomfield said the study reinforced the need for good hygiene practice both at work and in the home.
She said: "The superhighways for bacteria are hands and the surfaces we touch.
"Viruses are transferred by our hands, especially cold viruses."
She said it was impossible to turn our surroundings into sterile zones, but we can minimise the risk by washing our hands regularly and using alcoholic wipes on office furniture like phones and keyboards.
A combinaton of crumbs building up over weeks and a lack of thorough cleaning means that the average work station contain nearly 400 times as many microbes than toilets, it is claimed.
The grim reality of our grubby working environments is exposed in a study by the University of Arizona.
Top of the list for offenders is the telephone, which harbours up to 25,127 microbes per square inch - mainly because it is passed between people. Next filthiest is the desk, which is capable of supporting 10 million microbes - an average of 20,961 microbes per square inch. Keyboards come third with 3,295 microbes, followed by computer mice with 1,676.
By contrast, the average toilet seat contains 49 microbes per square inch, the survey showed.
Microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba, of the University of Arizona, who carried out the research, said: "When someone is infected with a cold or flu bug the surfaces they touch during the day become germ transfer points because some cold and flu viruses can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours.
"An office can become an incubator."
Dr Gerba's study found bacteria levels increased drastically during the day, peaking after lunch.
Food spills, such as tea and biscuits, can support mini eco-systems, but cleaning of keyboards and phones is not always given high priority.
Dr Gerba said: "Without cleaning, a small area on your desk of phone can sustain millions of bacteria that could potentially cause illness."
The study found that where office workers who were told to clean their desks with disinfecting wipes, bacterial levels were reduced by 99 per cent.
British microbiologist Professor Sally Bloomfield said the study reinforced the need for good hygiene practice both at work and in the home.
She said: "The superhighways for bacteria are hands and the surfaces we touch.
"Viruses are transferred by our hands, especially cold viruses."
She said it was impossible to turn our surroundings into sterile zones, but we can minimise the risk by washing our hands regularly and using alcoholic wipes on office furniture like phones and keyboards.
