Fecal Matter Found On Six Cell Phones

By: Pat Prescott
10/18/2011 07:58 PM ET

According to new research at the University of London, fecal matter was found on one out of every six cell phones in Britain. The report was made public on Friday ahead of Global Handwashing Day which was October 16th, and cited poor hygiene as the cause. In the study, researchers in 12 cities took 390 samples from mobile phones and hands, then analyzed in a laboratory what they had found.

“This study provides more evidence that people still don’t wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet,” Dr. Val Curtis of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said in the report.

When surveyed, 95 percent of respondents told the researchers that they washed their hands with soap where possible, but the researchers said 92 percent of phones and 82 percent of hands had bacteria on them. And 16 percent of hands and 16 percent of phones harbored the E. coli bacteria.

Smart phone user Johnia McCumbee said the survey results make sense. “I can see that happening because I see people addicted to their cell phone,” she said.

Daniel Esquibel, another smart phone user admitted he often takes his phone with him in the bathroom. “If I’m going to be honest about it, I have my phone with me when I go [into the bathroom],” he said, adding, “It’s kind of the best place to tweet and check Facebook real fast.”

“The mobile phone is a lovely area for some of the bacteria that we actually started to grow,” said Dr. Ron Cutler, who was involved in the research. “As you speak on your phone too much, it heats up.” Fecal bacteria can survive on hands and surfaces for hours, especially in warmer temperatures away from sunlight; it is easily transferred by touch to door handles, food and cell phones, the researchers said.

Peter Barratt, Technical Manager at Initial Washroom Solutions, which supports Global Handwashing Day, said: “Today’s research is shocking and demonstrates the importance of effective hygiene. It is critical that people take hand hygiene seriously and that businesses offer their employees and customers a practical way of protecting themselves to help combat the spread of illness.”

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