Sunday, 30 October 2011
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1/6 Cellphones are Contaminated with Feces
This may be the most disturbing statistic I've read this month-- Times found that 1/6 cell phones are contaminated with fecal matter. The London School of Hygiene at University of London analyzed 780 samples, and 16% of them were contaminated with E.coli of a fecal origin. Why?
It turns out that many people don't wash their hands after using their toilet, and studies show that "men wash hands less often than women in public bathrooms."
And not that we shouldn't fix our behavior, but fortunately the bus were found to be "more or less harmless," but still.
...So you might want to think twice before using someone else's phone--then putting it on your face!
What do you think? Do you wash your hands after using the bathroom? Do you think the studies are correct in that men wash their hands less frequently?
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About the Author
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- From: StacyLee
- About Me: Currently a student studying pharmacy-- love to read about health and (try to) maintain healthy habits while being on campus! I'm the girl with the 1L water bottle in the side of my backpack and a coffe tumbler in the other. So maybe I'm counteracting some health benefits... but I'm trying my best!
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Comments (42)
Well, I wouldn't know since I've never been in the men's restroom.
But I can tell you that I've seen WAY too many women who didn't wash their hands in the public restroom either.
Honestly there is shit everywhere. I don't know how many times I've seen news reports of fecal matter found on chairs at restaurants, pay phones, door handles, even in cosmo school they told us of a report of fecal matter on the cord of the blow dryers!
Shit is everywhere people- wash yo hands!
Disgusting. Seriously - I wash my hands with soap even if I only pee. However, if I poo, you can believe I'm going to wash my hands twice. I'm careful not to touch the poo but you just never know so I wash twice after going #2.
Why are other people so gross as to not wash their hands after wiping their crappy butts? EWW!
Well yea, what else am I supposed to wipe my ass with when I've run out of toilet paper?
@Nina1981@xanga - Or on toothbrushes. Thank you for proving that one Mythbusters -.-
@npr32486@xanga - ewwww lol.. well there you go- shit is everywhere and we're all still doing fine :)
@MangoWOW@xanga - I think your sleeve... or toothbrush.
i always feel so judged when i don't use the sinks at the restroom...but i so much prefer hand sanitizer after i'm out of the whole place D:
My bathrooms at school don't have soap half the time so I'm stuck using hand sanitizer. I hate my school sometimes.
Well that's some shitty news.
I sanitize my phone everyday. And I always use a headset.
*shrug* i wash my hands nonetheless
I was my hands and also wipe my phone off with antibacterial wipes or witch hazel. Put a little on a rag and wipe it...all done!
ALSO, people please when you "wash your hands" don't just run it under water for a split second, actually use soap and scrub the front, back, and in between fingers and nails. People can be so disgusting sometimes.. maybe it's because I'm a bit of a germaphobe... but still.
I always wash my hands.
I just learned in a microbiology course that it takes 30 seconds to wash your hands properly (with purpose of removing bacteria such as fecal E. coli). That is: put soap on, rub it in, and rinse. This generally takes you 10 seconds... So even if you wash your hands, this still may be not enough. We also tested washing hands with hand sanatizer which just does not work because you may kill some bacteria but since you don't rinse your hands they just stay on your hands. Rinsing with water only (I mean, how often you want to wash your hands in public and they're out of soap) is also ineffective, it only washes of some bacteria. Just to point out that there is more to this debate...
I don't know why people are so surprised. Particles of shit fly everywhere when you flush with the lid open. It's not just because people don't wash their hands - there are other reasons behind it too. But we've known this for years. Bacteria are everywhere and we can't get rid of all of them, and I wish people would stop trying.
I keep seeing this study everywhere and I just can't help thinking it's somewhat pointless. People are disgusting and fecal matter is everywhere and has been forever - it's not news. Have you ever used your hand to open a door in public? Used a bank pen? Used a handrail? Used a shopping cart?Shaken somebody's hand?
If so, cell phones are probably the least of your worries.
where i used to work there were guys there who not only didn't wash their hands they didn't even flush... ever. some people are disgusting.
@ChelseaSmilesMore@xanga - hand sanitizer is more like a quick fix in a pinch, not really something you should use on a regular basis.
I don't mean to sound snarky, or bitchy, that's not my intent. I just want to make people well informed. If you have the means to wash your hands, do it first. not really the other way around.
I think it's so inconsiderate (and disgusting) when people don't wash their hands. This is gross.
I sometimes play games on my phone when taking a dump. Usually use one hand for each thing though
@cheseasmilesmore@xanga-- if you're going to do that, why can't you use hand sanitizer BEFORE leaving the bathroom? You're just contaminating all the door handles and who knows what else for the rest of us who DO wash our hands in the bathroom.
I blame Brick Breaker and Angry Birds for cellphones out during potty break.
I, for one, wash my hands every time I go to the bathroom...