Mobiles have 18 times more bacteria than toilets
The typical mobile phone can harbour up to 18 times more bacteria than the average toilet handle, it has been found.
Hygiene experts working for consumer guide tested a selection of 30 mobile phones to see how dirty they were.
They found seven were covered in high levels of environmental bacteria which could act as a breeding ground for other bugs.
One of the seven was even (rather worryingly) harbouring faecal coliforms and could have given any user a serious stomach upset.
The findings suggest 15 million mobiles in the UK today could be potential health hazards… something to think about next time someone hands you their phone to look at a photo.
Hygiene expert Jim Francis said : "The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale. That phone needs sterilising."
He added that the average mobile phone has 18 times more bacteria than a flush on a men's toilet.
Hygiene experts working for consumer guide tested a selection of 30 mobile phones to see how dirty they were.
They found seven were covered in high levels of environmental bacteria which could act as a breeding ground for other bugs.
One of the seven was even (rather worryingly) harbouring faecal coliforms and could have given any user a serious stomach upset.
The findings suggest 15 million mobiles in the UK today could be potential health hazards… something to think about next time someone hands you their phone to look at a photo.
Hygiene expert Jim Francis said : "The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale. That phone needs sterilising."
He added that the average mobile phone has 18 times more bacteria than a flush on a men's toilet.