They're everywhere, everywhere!

["Richard L Whitman" <richard_whitman@usgs.gov>]

For all those people that over worry about swimming this summer, here's an
article that will really scare them.  I wonder how much of this article's
flavor belongs to the reporter or Chuck Gerba, I suspect a little bit of
both.

Richard Whitman

Germs Abound on Office Phones, Keyboards, and More

By
Jeanie Davis


April 5, 2002 -- There's a whole lot more than clutter and dust on your
desktop. In fact, this very minute, your hand at the keyboard has some 10
million germs swarming around it.

You're sharing space with a big batch of bacteria -- 400 times more than
the average toilet seat, a new study shows.

"For bacteria, a desk is really a laptop of luxury," says Charles Gerba,
PhD, an environmental virologist with the University of Arizona, in a news
release. "They can feast all day from breakfast to lunch and even dinner."

Gerba's one-of-a-kind study -- funded by The Clorox Company -- took a look
at typical office sites in several locations across the country. Each
included the usual mix of cubicles, open spaces, and private offices. The
cleaning routines in these offices were, to put it nicely, pretty much
nonexistent.

During the three-month study, one group of office workers at each location
was asked to clean their desks with disinfecting wipes. The other group
left theirs alone. Bacterial samples were taken several times a day from
just about every surface, handle, and knob.

Results? Telephones came in as the No. 1 germ- ridden site, followed by
desks, water fountain handles, microwave door handles, and computer
keyboards.

Biggest surprise -- toilet seats consistently had the lowest bacteria
levels of all.

On the desks that were cleaned daily with disinfecting wipes, bacteria
levels decreased dramatically -- 99.9%. In those work areas where wipes
weren't used, bacteria levels increased between 19% and 31% everyday.

"We don't think twice about eating at our desks, even though the average
desk has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more
bacteria than the average toilet," says Gerba. "Without cleaning, a small
area on your desk or phone can sustain millions of bacteria that could
potentially cause illness.