14 Oct 2011
Our mobile phones tend to get covered in all sorts – be it the grease from our bacon butties, or smudged makeup from holding them to our ears. But new research has shown that one in six mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with something far more grim – faecal matter.
A study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, has found that 16% of phones harbour E.coli – bacteria of faecal origin. Experts say this is most likely caused by people failing to wash their hands properly after going to the toilet.
Dr Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “I hope the thought of having E.coli on their hands and phones encourages them to take more care in the bathroom – washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives.”
The study also revealed that Britons tend to lie about their hygiene habits, because while 95% of people said they washed their hands with soap where possible, 92% of phones and 82% of hands had bacteria on them.
Copyright Press Association 2011