18 March 2004 - Is Your Desk A Health Hazard?
Scientists based at the University of Arizona explained that a lack of thorough cleaning combined with the increasing trend for workers to eat lunch at their desks was fuelling the increase in bugs.
On average work desks were found to contain 20,961 bugs per square inch, while toilet seats averaged a mere 49.
However, the least hygienic part of the office environment was discovered to be the telephone. Employees passing handsets around means that there are 25,127 microbes per square inch on office phones.
Microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba commented: "We don't think twice about eating at our desks, even though the average desk has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet."
"Without cleaning, a small area on your desk or phone can sustain millions of bacteria that could potentially cause illness."
