Posted on 08/02/2006 9:16:33 AM PDT by Fractal Trader
Your mobile phone could be a major health hazard, research shows.
The phones, an essential part of everyday life for 55million Britons, are crawling with potentially lethal bacteria.
With tens of thousands of microbes living on each square inch, they harbour more bacteria than a lavatory seat, the sole of a shoe or a door handle. Microbiologists say the combination of constant handling and the heat generated by the phones creates a prime breeding ground for all sorts of bugs that are normally found on our skin.
They include Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause illnesses from pimples and boils to pneumonia and meningitis and is a close relative of the superbug MRSA.
Joanna Verran, professor of microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "Mobile phones are stored in bags or pockets, are handled frequently and held close to the face.
"In other words, they come into contact with more parts of our body and a wider range of bacteria than toilet seats. The phones contained more skin bacteria than any other object. This could be due to the fact that this type of bacteria increase in high temperatures and our phones are perfect for breeding these germs as they are kept warm and cosy in pockets, handbags and briefcases
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
A new variation on: "Answer the phone. /You answer the phone!/ No, you answer the phone!"
In other news, restaurant ketchup dispencers and salt shakers dirtier than cellphones.
Toilet door handles are actually cleaner because of the greater attention paid towards cleaning it, as compared to the mundane table items, which are rarely ever cleaned.
This is a lesson to us all to stop coddling our phones by keeping them in warm and fuzzy places!
You don't know where that cell phone's been!
The problem with the "dirtier than a toilet seat" is that it equates all bacteria as equal. Indeed, it ain't. Most bacteria is completely harmless to people.
The other issue is that cell phones are personal in nature. Thus, the user is the one that contaminated the phone, and is therefore unlikely to "catch something" from it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.