Would you willingly press your ear against a toilet seat…while you were sober, that is? Surprisingly, making a call on your cell phone could be a lot riskier.
Research shows that cell phones can harbor more microbes than toilet seats or the soles of our shoes. Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (including the notorious MRSA), E. coli, Klebsiella, Salmonella, Acinetobacter, and Streptococcus, and viruses that cause colds and influenza are common hitchhikers on those electronic gadgets that we carry in our pockets and purses. (Borer A, et al. Cell phones and Acinetobacter transmission. Emerg Infect Dis July 2005)
Some of these organisms are relatively harmless. After all, we humans are immersed in a sea of bugs. Exposure to myriad organisms is actually one of the things that keeps our immune systems vigilant and healthy.
However, bacteria like methicillin-resistant staph can be bad actors, causing everything from pimples and boils to meningitis and toxic shock syndrome. And viruses, some of them hardy enough to survive for several days on environmental surfaces, can infect several people during their tenure on a doorknob or the mouthpiece of a cell phone.
Dr. Charles Gerba (known as “Doctor Germ”), a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, has conducted several studies that reveal some startling information about the numbers of germs on surfaces people commonly touch in day-to-day life…and cell phones are among the dirtiest.
Germ Densities on Common Surfaces
- Cell phone: 25,000 germs per square inch
- Desktop: 21,000 germs per square inch
- Computer keyboard: 3,300 germs per square inch
- Computer mouse: 1,700 germs per square inch
- Fax machine: 300 germs per square inch
- Copy machine: 70 germs per square inch
- Toilet seat: 50 germs per square inch
(Adapted from Charles Gerba, PhD)
What makes a cell phone such a great resting place for microbes? It serves as a bridge between one’s hand—which has already grabbed doorknobs, shaken other hands, punched buttons at the copy machine, and (heaven forbid) been to the restroom without being washed—and one's mouth, arguably one of the most bacteria-rich sites in the body. Once a cell phone has served its intended purpose (all the while generating a bacteria-friendly aura of warmth) it gets tucked into a pocket or bag—a nice, warm environment that’s ideal for incubating microorganisms.
The reason that most of us don’t constantly fall ill from repeated exposure to our phones is that they are coated primarily with OUR bugs. Our immune system has already grown accustomed to these organisms and built a defense against them. It’s when we get exposed to new germs that we get sick.
How to Avoid Getting Sick from Our Cell Phones
There’s always going to be a bacterium or virus that slips past even the hardiest of immune systems. That’s part of living on the planet.
Without getting compulsive, cell phone users can avoid becoming microbial culture media by following some simple rules:
- Wash your hands frequently. Sing a verse from a familiar song (e.g., “Happy Birthday”) while lathering and rinsing. Don’t rush.
- Sanitize work surfaces—and your cell phone—with germicidal wipes once daily.
- Carry wipes with you so you can quickly clean stations that you share with others.
- Don’t share a cell phone unless it’s an emergency. Teenagers are notorious for passing their phones around; it’s just one more reason they seem to be ill during the entire school year.
Some manufacturers are developing devices with antimicrobial coatings. Whether they’ll prove beneficial remains to be seen—and a cell phone with a colloidal silver skin seems a bit obsessive.
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