Talking On A Cell Phone Like 'Placing Your Face On A Toilet Bowl'

from the yeah,-but-is-your-toilet-3G? dept

Mon, Mar 16th 2009 10:29am — Carlo Longino

A new study checked out the mobile phones of 200 doctors and nurses, and found that 95 percent of them were contaminated with bacteria, while 1 in 8 had the MRSA staph bug. These findings pretty much echo those of previous studies, and like those earlier efforts, this one doesn't really go into exactly how dangerous these bacteria-laden handsets are. Unless, of course, you count the comments by the head of a "microbial sterilisation systems company" -- who in no way has a dog in this hunt -- that "holding your phone to your mouth is as dangerous as placing your face on a toilet bowl." Somehow, that comment doesn't seem too convincing, even though it's fairly colorful. If handsets were really portable mongers of bacteria-based death, one would think these medical studies might make that clear, and doctors and hospitals would take some steps to address the problem.

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Filed Under: bacteria, mobile phones

42 Comments

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Ima Fish, 16 Mar 2009 @ 10:40am

But if it's your phone, then any contamination on the phone came from you. Thus, you're already infected.
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Weird Harold, 16 Mar 2009 @ 10:48am

I don't pee on my phone. it isn't a toilet bowl.
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ChrisB (profile), 16 Mar 2009 @ 10:55am

Re:
Public Service Announcement: Pee is sterile. Your crotch is not. That is why you should wash your hands.
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WarOtter (profile), 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:03am

Re: Re:
Or just pee on your hands and crotch... and phone. Problem solved!
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dblevins (profile), 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:06am

Gee, almost as contaminated as Doctor's ties !!
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:19am

Anything exposed to the environment is contaminated. Why would anyone thing a cell phone is any different? Try a swab test on your pager, TV remote , car door remote, garage door opener, the pen in your shirt pocket, your wallet, your credit cards, or any one of a thousand every day items. A cell phone is no more risky a vector than any of those items.
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Scote, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:21am

Actually, toilet's aren't nearly as dirty as people assume, partially because they get cleaned regularly. Want pathogenic bacteria? Check you kitchen sink drain.
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jonnyq, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:26am

In other news, placing your face on a toilet bowl is no more dangerous than talking on your cell phone.
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Chronno S. Trigger, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:28am

Re: Re:
PSA: Your hands are more contaminated than your crotch or a toilet. Your mouth is the most infested place on a human body, so I could imagine that something you talk onto would be almost as contaminated.
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TheStupidOne, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:31am

Re: Re:
Is your crotch dirtier than your stomach? legs? feet? armpits? nose? hair? keyboard???

I don't know about the rest of you but i wash my crotch at least once a day ... when was the last time you washed your keyboard?

To be honest i actually did wash mine once when I spilled a highly alcoholic drink on it and killed everything growing in it. But then the alcohol evaporated and the sugars in the drink encouraged much more to grow.
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Bob-o, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:39am

Welcome To Our Hone
Notice there wasn't a p? Let's keep it that way.

I don't talk to your toilet, so please don't pee on my phone.
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SteveD, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:41am

And I thought keyboards were supposed to be the big killer...

You'll never be rid of germs in a hospital, because members of the public keep bringing them in! But what matters is the doctors interaction with the patient, getting them to follow good practises in keeping their hands clean etc.
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boost, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:51am

Re:
Oh, you really must try it out...it is all the rage.
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GLaDOS, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:55am

That thing is probably some kind of raw sewage container! Go ahead and rub your face all over it!
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Terry Robinson, 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:59am

Toilet Bowls bad comparison for dirty
Toilet bowls are regularly cleaned with strong disinfectants in almost any health environment. Several other surfaces we assume are clean like ice machines and desk surfaces regularly show more bacteria than toilet bowls.

Additionally, the registered bacteria is well below what is considered to be enough to cause an infection to anyone which is conveniently overlooked.

Quite the fearmongering, techdirt is too good a publication to make the same omissions as other media outlets.
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Trevlac, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:00pm

Re: Re:
He said toilet *seat*.

Do you pee on your toilet seat?
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ondigo, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:06pm

Hitchhiker's alert
This doesn't make sense since Earthmen are descended from Golgafrinchan telephone disinfectors.
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JB, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:07pm

A Quick Wipe
I don't remember where I read it, but I remember it being stated that wiping the toilet seat off with some toilet paper is more effective at reducing bacterial contact than using those paper covers. I think the results were a 90% reduction in bacteria from simply wiping the seat. So, why not just quickly wipe the cell phone on your shirt or pants. I know I tend to wipe off the screen on my phone quite regularly since it collects oils from being in contact with my face, ear and hair.
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TPBer, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:18pm

Cup Your Hands...
I Gotta Pee!
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Bah, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:24pm

Keyboards?
Aren't keyboards supposed to be one of the dirtiest things that people use regularly? Maybe they should do something about that.

Some kind of...clingfilm wrapper? That they change once a day?
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Lisa, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:29pm

Our dirty cell phones
While this story just came out, I read two years ago how dirty and germ infested our cell phones were! About a year ago, I found a product on the Internet that makes wipes just for cell phones. The company is called Wireless Wipes.
The wipes dry really fast and I love the green tea cusumber smell. Try them out! I use them all the time.
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Yakko Warner, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:37pm

Doesn't surprise me
Considering the crap people talk about on their phones all day, it just stands to reason...
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:40pm

Re:
Logic not allowed in fear mongering
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 12:55pm

If we clean everything up completely then how will our immune systems learn?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 1:21pm

Re:
haha
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 1:39pm

Re:
YES!!! THANK YOU!!! SOMEBODY WHO GETS IT!!! People, think about it, germs are everywhere. Part of the reason we get sick so easy these days is because everybody is so obsessed with making everything too clean. When we don't get exposed to germs, our bodies don't get a chance to form antibodies which protect against infectious diseases. By keeping everything so sterile, it actually makes it very easy for us to get sick. That's not to say that cleanliness isn't important, but there is a balance that needs to be maintained. I can understand, however, that it is an issue for discussion in the realm of hospitals, which is one place where cleanliness is essential for patient health. Beyond that, get over it, germs are everywhere 24x7.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 1:52pm

Re: Re: Re:
now that made me laugh! pee on everything it's the new purell
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 1:53pm

Re:
I disagree...the last time i placed my face in a toilet bowl I nearly puked my brains out.
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Filthy Filthy Anonymous, 16 Mar 2009 @ 2:23pm

Re: Re:
The last time I placed MY face in a toilet bowl I WAS puking my brains out...

And another thing.... it's the bloody mind I'm concerned with, far far filthier than any darn phone i tell ya..
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 2:26pm

Re:
I think it was the mythbusters that did a bacterial test on many places around the house and found the toilet seat to be the cleanest by far (almost no bacteria at all), so I feel safe using cell phones. just need to worry about the cancer issue now...
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 3:01pm

Re: Re:
Just because germs are the largest biomass on the rock, doesn't mean that we can't try to wipe em out.
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 16 Mar 2009 @ 3:28pm

Re: Toilet Bowls bad comparison for dirty
True enough—until you flush. Then you raise a fine mist, full of fecal bacteria, that spreads right through the air, onto your face, clothes, everywhere.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Mar 2009 @ 3:33pm

Re: Re: Toilet Bowls bad comparison for dirty
not really, the concentration of fecal bacterial is no worse in the bathroom than anywhere else in the house, even brand new sealed items get fecal bacteria on them when you open it.
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Gene Cavanaugh, 17 Mar 2009 @ 12:40pm

MSRA infected cellphones
A new study checked out the mobile phones of 200 doctors and nurses, and found that 95 percent of them were contaminated with bacteria, while 1 in 8 had the MRSA staph bug.

1. The term "contaminated with bacteria" is meaningless - we would die without some bacteria; if they mean "harmful" they need to say that.
2. So, 1 in 8 hospital personnel are patients? I don't think so.
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Marc McDonald, 20 Mar 2009 @ 1:26pm

See...
This is why I don't let girls borrow my phone...they have cooties.
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Wait? what?, 13 Apr 2009 @ 9:55pm

Re: Re: Re:
Germs don't even exist... they're just made up by evil scientists who want you to believe in evolution.
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Jeff, 30 Nov 2009 @ 8:47pm

Toilets, bombs and food heaved at guitars
Then you probably don't want to do all this either...What do a toilet, atomic bomb, and food heaved at a guitar have in common? Something called Spoiked!, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2oGysxM-j4
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Dan, 16 Dec 2009 @ 9:13am

Benjamins, bombs, and Barbies
Kind of fits in the category of this video too. This is a fun music video on YouTube, "Spoiked" (Google it).
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Dentist Lake Worth, 25 Jan 2010 @ 11:44pm

Bacteria
Study says that cellphone is one of the dirtiest things people have. It's germ count are bigger than you thought. It is more dirty than a mouse or keyboard in the office.
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JimmyWhales, 27 Dec 2010 @ 3:31pm

I like my cell phone clean, thank you.
I like my cell phone clean, and I'm glad I found Celluwipes. They're easy to carry, and I can clean my phone whenever it needs it (although I am a little OCD). Check 'em out at http://www.celluwipes.com
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Satafly, 23 Nov 2011 @ 1:18am

Re: Re: Re:
Cus covering something unsterilised with something sterile totally sterilises it
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Lila, 22 Jan 2012 @ 5:04pm

Re: Re: Re:
My brothers do.
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