A new study has found that the average smartphone is nearly seven times dirtier than a toilet seat.
Initial Washroom Hygiene – which provides washroom services in the United Kingdom – found that toilets showed bacteria on around 220 areas around the seat, while the average mobile phone boasted 1,479 such spots.
The phones’ screens had the highest levels of bacteria, while the back of the handset, the lock button and the home button also had high levels of bacteria.
KABC Health expert Dr. Daliah Wachs says the impact on public health could be significant.
“You see all these food-borne illnesses; these salmonella, these e-coli and then you wonder, ‘Was it really the lettuce? Or was it their cellphone?’ ”
She says there is a simple way to reduce the amount of germs carried around on your smart phone.
“I use alcohol wipes. I just swipe it with an alcohol wipe. It’s not very wet and the water doesn’t soak in but alcohol sterilizes.”
Dr. Daliah Wachs was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
By Sandy Wells
KABC News