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More bacteria on mobiles than gents’ lavatories
Which? report suggests you think twice before borrowing that cellphone
Next time you ask to borrow a friend's mobile phone to make a quick call, think again. A report by Which? says that on average mobiles contain 18 times more living bacteria than a flush on a gents' toilet.
The startling sanitary statistic was the result of research carried out by a courageous hygiene expert who swabbed and analysed 30 phones. Seven of these minging mobiles were classified as "dirty" with high levels of environmental bacteria or, as the hygiene boffins call it, Aerobic Heterotrophic Bacteria (TVC).
The Which? report says that while high levels of TVC aren't life-threatening they could be a breeding ground for other "bacterial nasties" such as the painful-sounding Faecal Coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae, which is associated with Salmonella.
Hygiene expert Jim Francis told Which?: "The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale. That phone needs sterilising." Which? says phones can be protected by regular cleaning with an alcohol wipe or, failing that, by inspecting the ears of your nearest and dearest before borrowing their mobile.
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