Spring Break
Germ busters
Desks, keyboards, computer mouses harbor most bacteria in homes
Tara Bannow
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: Money/Health
The leftovers decaying in the back of the fridge. The dust on the windowsill. The expiration dates on soup cans.
There are some things many of us just don't think about. Such is the case with bacteria.
"We don't see it on our hands," junior Molly Moran said. "If we don't see it there, it doesn't affect us directly and we don't really care."
But for those who spend increasing amounts of time working in offices, it may be time to start caring.
"There's all sorts of bacteria out there," said Shaun McCarthy, employee health and safety nurse with Marshfield Clinic. "Some that's harmful, some that's helpful. It's a delicate balancing act."
So where does all this bacteria hide?
Microbiology professor Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona said he intends on finding out. In 2002, he led a study called "Germs in the Workplace" to determine places in the office where bacteria tends to congregate. Gerba and his students tested offices in five major cities throughout the United States, analyzing bacteria levels of 616 surfaces, he said.
"There's basically about 400 times more bacteria on an office desk than on a toilet seat," Gerba said. "People clean toilet seats. As for desks, people don't think much about cleaning them up once in a while, and janitorial staffs won't touch personal space."
The desk is only the second most bacteria-ridden object in the workplace, followed by the keyboard and the mouse, Gerba said, adding the No. 1 bacteria sanctuary is the phone.
"Who cleans a phone?" he asked.
McCarthy agreed.
"The phone probably has the largest amount of bacteria," he said. "When people talk, water droplets come out of their mouths, and if the phone is used by many people, lots of transmission occurs with shared objects."
Like Gerba, McCarthy agreed that in terms of bacteria, the phone was followed by the desktop, keyboard and mouse.
After learning of this news, some may want to run home to safety. Not so fast.
There are some things many of us just don't think about. Such is the case with bacteria.
"We don't see it on our hands," junior Molly Moran said. "If we don't see it there, it doesn't affect us directly and we don't really care."
But for those who spend increasing amounts of time working in offices, it may be time to start caring.
"There's all sorts of bacteria out there," said Shaun McCarthy, employee health and safety nurse with Marshfield Clinic. "Some that's harmful, some that's helpful. It's a delicate balancing act."
So where does all this bacteria hide?
Microbiology professor Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona said he intends on finding out. In 2002, he led a study called "Germs in the Workplace" to determine places in the office where bacteria tends to congregate. Gerba and his students tested offices in five major cities throughout the United States, analyzing bacteria levels of 616 surfaces, he said.
"There's basically about 400 times more bacteria on an office desk than on a toilet seat," Gerba said. "People clean toilet seats. As for desks, people don't think much about cleaning them up once in a while, and janitorial staffs won't touch personal space."
The desk is only the second most bacteria-ridden object in the workplace, followed by the keyboard and the mouse, Gerba said, adding the No. 1 bacteria sanctuary is the phone.
"Who cleans a phone?" he asked.
McCarthy agreed.
"The phone probably has the largest amount of bacteria," he said. "When people talk, water droplets come out of their mouths, and if the phone is used by many people, lots of transmission occurs with shared objects."
Like Gerba, McCarthy agreed that in terms of bacteria, the phone was followed by the desktop, keyboard and mouse.
After learning of this news, some may want to run home to safety. Not so fast.
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