Candy Basket: Bacteria Nightmare
If your worst nightmare at work is to clean a keyboard or sanitize your mouse, your likely setting yourself up to get sick.
In a study of germs lurking in one Manhattan publishing office published by ABC in 2005, Dr. Chuck Gerba found results that were far worse than most office workers could imagine.
One woman’s candy basket contained a hundred times more germs than a toilet seat. The bacteria Gerba found was in part coliform. Coliform bacteria id generally found in human excrement, on bathroom faucets and door knobs and in kitchen sinks.
The presence of coliform bacteria in offices shows that people aren’t washing their hands after using the bathroom.
And, even if you do wash your hands after visiting the restroom and keep a visibly clean, clutter-free desk, you’re not necessarily safe from germs.
Gerba found that the most organized people in the office, who’s desks were spotless had the dirtiest keyboards. Even more surprising, Gerba’s results showed that the most cluttered desk has many less germs than the cleanest one.
The number of germs is related more to the number of people using certain equipment, rather than to the messiness surrounding the equipment. The buttons in the elevator, on your phone, and on keyboards can be touched by hundreds of fingers each day, and therefore are the most germ laden.
The best way to fight germs and bacteria is to wash your hands regularly, and clean the office equipment you touch most.
One Response to “Candy Basket: Bacteria Nightmare”
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October 2nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I just received my washable computer keyboard and mouse for traveling. No more sharing germs when I share a computer.