Cell Phones Breed Staph and Other Bacteria

Millions of people have, and use, cell phones. According to statistics posted by the post-gazette.com website, cell phone usage has exploded from 34 million Americans owning one in 1996 to more than 203 million currently. And many of these subscribers are unaware that their individually used cell phone is a petri dish in their pocket. Some simply think, "oh, those are just my germs, it's not that bad."

TheKansasCityChannel.com, a subsidiary of ABC, has recently reported findings that there are literally, "tens of thousands of bacteria live on each square inch of a phone, including Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), which can cause pimples or boils, and even pneumonia and meningitis." According to the report, cell phone handsets are more contaminated than shoes, door knobs and toilets. When you stop and think about the places your phone goes, besides residing in your pocket, purse or briefcase, you can begin to understand the depth of this issue.

How many times have you dropped your cell phone? Any accidental drops in the toilet? Gross, I know, but it happens more often than people want to admit. Do you ever set your cell phone on the counter tops in public bathrooms or on top of restaurant tables? The most disturbing fact of all is that the really harmful germs aren't even associated with the obscure places that we so often set our beloved piece of communication.

The most harmful bacteria are coming from our very own skin! The bacteria on our faces and hands contribute to the arrival and breeding of bacteria that cause such horrible bacterial infections, such as Staph infection. For more information regarding Staph infection and it's many cousins, visit www.goaskalice.columbia.edu. The bacterium that causes Staph infection are almost always present on the surface of our skin, and what else is almost always present on or near our skin? That's right, a brand new, state of the art, cell phone.

The constant heat generated by the phone (most people don't walk around with a turned off cell phone), causes the tiny bacterium, Staph and others, to grow and divide at an alarming rate. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. While your chance of being infected with Staph are minimal, unless you have an open cut or some other way for the infection to enter the blood stream, it isn't a very good idea to let the bacterium run rampant on one of your favorite gadgets.

Here are a few tips to eliminate the bacterium threat.

1. Be sure to clean your phone with an anti-bacterial wipe on a regular basis.

2. Make a new habit, use the wipes at the grocery cart corral inside your local supermarket, if you don't have them handy at home or in your purse - and it's probably a good idea to use it on the grocery cart also since that's what their purpose is!

3. Use your hands free or speaker phone options when ever possible.

4. Use anti-bacterial wipes to clean off your land line phones as well, as they serve the same function.

The way society is moving towards new technology and more people are joining the technological revolution, there are sure to be more health risks involved. Be aware of the microbial threats that are just waiting for the opportunity to grow on you and inside of you, your very own petri dish could be engineering new strains of bacteria as we speak!