| Your Mobile Phone is Dirtier than you Think |
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“It’s a well-known fact that cell phones are dirty objects, but just how unclean are they? Fun fact: each square inch of your cell phone contains roughly 25,000 germs, making it one of the filthiest things you come in contact with on a daily basis. That’s something to think about the next time you press your face to your phone. |
| Ever wonder what objects are actually cleaner than your phone? Surprisingly, toilet seats make the list because they’re usually sanitized often. |
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Menshealth recently interviewed Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona who says this is not surprising. “Nobody ever cleans or disinfects their phone, so the germs and bacteria just keep building up,” he explains. What types of germs? E. coli, as well as influenza and MRSA, a germ that causes rashes and skin infections, Gerba adds. |
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As we use our phones frequently it remains warm, creating the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. “With the advent of touch-screen phones, the same part of the phone you touch with your fingertips is pressed right up against your face and mouth, upping your chances of infection,” Gerba adds. |
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Much of the disease-causing bacteria they found are transferred from person to person through touch, which means that once this bacteria is on your hands, you only have to then touch your eyes or nose for the bacteria to find an easy route into your body. This is especially frightening when you consider how often your phone hangs out only millimeters away from your face. |
| The wide spread use of mobile phones by healthcare workers has become a question of concern. A recent study on mobile phones and Nosocomial infections reported, “HCWs’ mobile phones may serve as reservoirs for microorganisms that could facilitate the transmission of bacterial isolates from one patient to another in different hospital wards. Whereas strict attention is paid to changing clothes, removing jewelry, undertaking hand hygiene measures (WHO 5 Moments), and storing personal objects in changing rooms to reduce the transfer of microorganisms from the external clinical environment into the operating environment, most expensive mobile phones often accompany staff into the operating environment as currently no local policy restricting the use of mobile phones in clinically sensitive areas is in place. This lack of attention may be indicative of little awareness about potential risks posed by mobile phone microbial contamination and their role as vehicle for transmission of infections.” |
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| The report went on to recommend, “Restriction of mobile phone use in clinically sensitive areas, such as operating environment and ICU as a start point, is recommended. Moreover, screening of HCWs’ mobile phones inside the hospital should be done while doing environmental screening.” This would be supported by, “A major educational campaign to raise awareness" and recommendation that "mobile phones could be produced with protective material against contamination.” |
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| Article Source: http://info.debgroup.com/blog/bid/290652/Your-Mobile-Phone-Is-Dirtier-Than-You-Think |
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