One in six mobile phones contain traces of E. coli because people are too lax about washing their hands

[richard]

One in six British mobile phones contain traces of E. coli because people are too lax about washing their hands, a study has found.

More than nine in ten mobile phones are coated with some kind of bacteria, including E.coli, which was responsible for a number of deaths in Germany in June, and Staphylococcus aureus, one strain of which is better known as MRSA.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine took 390 samples of bacteria from the hands and phones of people in 12 cities across Britain.

Although 95 per cent of participants claimed to wash their hands with soap whenever they could, some 16 per cent of hands and phones contained E.coli, which is transmitted in faeces and causes gut complaints.

Some 31 per cent of hands and 25 per cent of phones harboured Staphylococcus aureus, which is naturally present in our skin but can become dangerous if transferred between people, particularly to those with weakened immune systems.

In total 92 per cent of mobile phones and 82 per cent of hands tested had some traces of bacteria.

The findings indicate that many of us still do not wash our hands properly, especially after visiting the toilet, the researchers said.

Once transported to a mobile phone the bacteria can survive well because the surfaces are hard to clean, are frequently warmed up when the device is used, and are occasionally sprayed with proteins when we speak into the receiver.

From the phone surface the bacteria can be transported back to our hands even after washing, to our ears and faces where they can infect any scratches or open wounds, or even to other people who borrow the handset.

Dr Ron Cutler, who led the study, released ahead of Global Handwashing Day on Saturday, said some devices were "crawling" with germs.

He said: "We found a direct link between how dirty your hands were and how dirty your phone was, if people did wash their hands properly with soap this link would not exist".

"I hope the thought of having E. coli on their hands and phones encourages people to take more care in the bathroom – washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives.”


Source
By Nick Collins
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph

[richard]

Just imagine how many bugs are on the average touchscreen device, am just off to spray some Dettox onto my iPad and iPhone screen

Thinking ahead, at least these touch screens are flat, just imagine how many bugs hide in the average computer or phone keyboard

Reminds me of the episode of Oliver Beene when he discovers the microscope and tries to remove all the bacteria from his hands. First he spots the bugs on his hand so he rushes over to the sink to wash the bugs off, then realises he's touched the tap which is infested, so needs to wash his hands again, and the tap, etc, etc, then he realises that bacteria are everywhere - it was so hysterical to watch, and so true.

[abraun]

That is one of the main concerns of mobile phones, because they are not washable.

I mean, you use it everyday and most of the time, you are not able to wash or clean your hands when suddenly someone calls or sends you a message. And people think that it will only be a few moments not thinking that whatever contact is made will already stick.

I think that the next big thing should be mobile device cleaners that are guaranteed to have no damaging effect to the devices.

[richard]

Hello abraun and welcome to our UNOFFICIAL London 2012 Olympics forum.

Yes I can confirm 100% that iPhones cannot be washed in water in order to clean them, and the reason I know this is thanks to our toddler who whilst we weren't looking, tried out this experiment by placing my iPhone (which was still charging) in a glass of water, and despite me placing the phone in a bag of rice on top of the radiator for a few days and speaking to it really nicely as recommended by many users on the internet, I can say hand on heart it was as dead as a dodo.

The Apple store were very understanding and did supply me with a replacement model in exchange for a small payment once they had heard my tale of woe. So 10 out of 10 for Apple, and 1 out of 10 for our toddler who was well and truly in the dog house.

Having said that, it did look very clean and shiny