Flu germs can be transferred
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Office workers are exposed to more germs from their
phones and keyboards than toilet seats, scientists reveal.
Work stations contain nearly 400 times as many microbes than
lavatories, it is claimed.
Office equipment should be regularly disinfected to prevent the
spread of viruses and bacteria responsible for disease.
The reality of our grubby working environments is exposed in a study
by the University of Arizona.
A desk is capable of supporting 10 million microbes and the average
office contains 20,961 microbes per square inch, according to research.
The key offenders are telephones, which harbour up to
25,127 microbes per square inch, keyboards 3,295 and computer mice
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%.
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.
Desks are really bacteria cafeterias
