As per a swabbing study by Initial Washroom Hygiene, more than half of smartphones have high levels of biological contamination. An average smartphone harbours over double the amount of bacteria found on a toilet seat, and one records a shocking confirmation level of 558%, six times as much as a toilet seat.
Men were 64% more like to admitting that they took the smartphone to the bathroom.
New Delhi: Many spend too much time in the toilet scrolling through social media or reading the news or some fun blogs on the smartphones. But little do they realise that there are more health problems associated with this habit. Turns out, taking the smartphone to the loo is a huge mistake and has serious repercussions for health. According to a study, taking a smartphone to the toilet can hurt you as it is a storehouse of harmful bacteria gathered from various places that can eventually enter the body.
What makes a smartphone dirtier than a toilet?
As per a swabbing study by Initial Washroom Hygiene, more than half of smartphones have high levels of biological contamination. An average smartphone harbours over double the amount of bacteria found on a toilet seat, and one records a shocking confirmation level of 558%, six times as much as a toilet seat. The findings were based on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) swab tests and an ATP bioluminescence reader which can detect levels of biological life not visible to the human eyes.
For this, detailed surface samples were taken from 50 smartphones. An analysis was done of the results and it was found that 52% of the phones were heavily contaminated with microbes. Along with this, a consumer research survey was also conducted of over 2000 respondents to know the habits of people. It was found that the phones are worryingly contaminated as most people never clean their smartphones. Furthermore, 59% were admitted to the hospital while using the phone in a washroom.
15% of the people confessed to not washing their hands every time they visited the bathroom. This way, bacteria gets transferred to smartphones, even if they are not used in the cubicle. Men were 64% more like to admit that they took their smartphone to the bathroom. Conclusively, researchers said that this is alarming as 80% of all infections are transmitted through touch.
Therefore, when people use their smartphones and put them on their faces while attending calls, they become more prone to picking up diseases. Therefore, hand hygiene is said to be of paramount importance as it can gather and promote bacterial activity. Make sure to wash your hands after visiting the loo to get rid of bacteria. Ideally, one must wash the hands five times in a day or use an antibacterial wipe to clean the phone.
