From today's (March 10) issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
Lifestyle section, page B-6

Cell phones filthier than toilet seats?
By Rafael Castillo, MD

MANILA, Philippines -- What is it that could be as dirty as, sometimes even dirtier than a toilet seat, but we can’t seem to live without? Answer: the ubiquitous cell phone. Yes, we would never want our faces nowhere close to a toilet seat, but our cell phones have the privilege of being closely pressed to either of our ears and within a few centimeters of our lips. For some, it’s literally glued to their cheeks for hours on end.

Our cell phones are teeming with bacteria, and if we’re having recurrent infections of the respiratory tract in the form of coughs and colds, or of the gastro-intestinal tract in the form of loose bowel movement, or hard-to-treat acne on the face that keeps on coming back, your cell phone may be the culprit.

Last year, an elderly businessman was admitted in a Metro Manila hospital thrice in four months -- twice for pneumonia and once for infectious diarrhea. The attending physician was at a loss why this apparently healthy individual suddenly became infection-prone. He advised him on cell phone sanitation and the patient has not been readmitted since.

Breeding ground for bacteria

The cell phone can be a virtual Petri dish where various bacteria can multiply and build invisible colonies which can be potent enough to cause a significant infection when one’s resistance due to a weakened immune system is reduced. Don’t think that what your cell phone has are your own bacteria from your skin or saliva. It has a lot more and the places where it’s kept -- pockets or purses—provide just the right temperature, darkness and humidity to make it an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.

Most of the bacteria grown in cell phone swabs are harmless, but a few infection-causing bacteria have been isolated the most scary of which is staphylococcus aureus which can cause skin boils, pneumonia, meningitis, gastroenteritis and other potentially serious infections.

The Craigavon Area Hospital Group conducted a study in a hospital in Northern Ireland which showed that cell phones could breed a variety of germs, “more than some of the dirtiest toilet seats.” The study was done due to concerns about hospital-acquired infections attributed to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a type of bacteria that can be deadly if ingested and is resistant to commonly used antibiotics.

Evidence of bacterial growth

They swabbed the cell phones of 53 doctors and 52 members of the nursing staff and of these 105 phones, 96.2 percent had evidence of bacterial growth and 15 phones (14.3 percent) grew bacteria known to cause infection. This means that one out of 6 or 7 cell phones may be carriers of germs that can infect its user. Two of the phones swabbed contained the deadly form of MRSA. What is striking is that the cell phone users in this study were doctors and nurses who are supposed to be more concerned about sanitation and safety precautions to avoid infections.

Similar results have been shown in studies swabbing cell phones of nonhospital workers. The same conclusion was arrived at by the researchers that cell phones can be a lot filthier than we think they are. The degree of contamination however was less than in the Ireland study using swabs from cell phones of hospital workers.

Even if we’re using the most expensive or sleek model, cell phones can be filthy, no doubt about that. But who can live these days without a cell phone. So if we can’t do without it, let’s make sure we take some precautions to prevent it from becoming the breeding ground of potentially life-threatening bacteria.

Preventing germ transmission

Since our hands are the most frequent source of the germs, we should wash our hands as frequently as possible especially after using the toilet. Frequent handwashing has been shown to be the most effective preventive measure in human-acquired infections. The use of accessories to enable you to use your cell phone without pressing it to your face may also help prevent germ transmission from a contaminated phone.

We should also swab our cell phones with rubbing alcohol at least twice a week. If the manufacturer says this practice might destroy the unit, you just have to make a choice between preserving your precious cell phone or saving yourself from a potentially serious infection that can land you in the hospital. The wise choice is obvious.