Why your cellphone has more germs than a toilet

Cellphones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats.  "When's the last time you cleaned your cellphone?"asked Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona.

While toilets tend to get cleaned frequently, because people associate the bathroom with germs, cellphones and other commonly handled objects - like remote controls - are often left out of the cleaning routine.

Cellphones pick up germs all the time, Gerba said. "I see people talk on their phone on toilets."

However, the amount of germs  on a phone isn't a problem - it's the sharing of phones between people. Without sharing, each phone carries just one set of germs, and won't get its owner sick, Gerba said.

Read the rest of this August 30 Health on Today article at the link below.