Think you work in a clean environment? Think again! According to a recent study of office workplaces in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Tuscon, office equipment, such as mice, keyboards, and telephones, are crawling with germs.
The study, funded by the Clorox Co., looked for the presence of the human parainfluenza 1 virus, which can cause colds and respiratory infections. The results were surprising and well...pretty disgusting. Read on...
Forty-seven percent of desktops, 46 percent of computer mice, 45 percent of telephones, 26 percent of doorknobs and door handles, and 19 percent of light switches tested positive for the parainfluenza virus, the survey found.
"These are the high-touch, high-contact areas that tend to be germ zones or germ transmission points," said survey coordinator Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona.
"It becomes more relevant if you share desk space," Gerba said. "Basically, anybody that has a cold or a flu, they are laying a mine field of viruses around the office.
"I think germs have figured it out — location, location, location," he said, noting that the virus can live for up to 72 hours on surfaces.
So which of the five cities topped the workplace germ list? Check out the rest of the article here.
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