14 DAY TRIAL // A new investigation carried out by scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University showed that sometimes cellular phones can be dirtier and more laden with germs than toilet seats, the soles of our shoes, door handles, maybe even money bills. Mobile phones have become an extremely useful communication means for people around the world in recent years. We are too busy to stay at home and wait for the call of a specific person and that is why we simply need our mobile phones. They are practical and we can communicate with the others more easily while at work, shopping and almost in all places and situations.
However, researchers reached the conclusion that due to the fact that the portable communication devices are touched many times everyday and are exposed to various environments, they are crawling with tens of thousands of bacteria on every inch. The germs include infectious and even lethal ones, such as Staphylococcus aureus. This germ can cause a various range of illnesses in humans, from pimples to pneumonia and meningitis. Staphylococcus aureus is a sibling of the MRSA extremely dangerous bacteria.
Besides permanent handling the cell phones, there is another main factor that leads to so many germs on our mobiles, namely the heat. It is a known fact that heat favors bacteria forming and multiplying. Exposed to all kinds of media and taken to different places, the portable devices are exposed to heat and this is how we can get sick without knowing how and where we contracted the germ from.
"In other words, they come into contact with more parts of our body and a wider range of bacteria than toilet seats. The phones contained more skin bacteria than any other object. This could be due to the fact that this type of bacteria increase in high temperatures and our phones are perfect for breeding these germs as they are kept warm and cozy in pockets, handbags and briefcases," explained Microbiology professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, Joanna Verran.
But because we cannot live without our cellular phones, experts and big mobile phone companies recommend keeping the portable devices in handsets and regularly cleaning these handsets with anti-bacterial tissues.