GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Don't Pick Up That Phone!

Michael Steinhart | Date: 05-14-10 | Comments

Disease-carrying bacteria can multiply quickly on cell phones, and some companies offer anti-microbial cases to protect you from the bugs. But do they really work?

Here at Smarter Technology, we received an e-mail last week with the subject line, �Your cell phone can make you sick!!!�

The premise is not a new one. Bacteria, mold and fungi grow in warm environments, and your cell phone or handheld is usually warm. It�s also often in contact with your hands�which touch doorknobs, shake other hands, push elevator buttons and use the bathroom�and your mouth. Once the phone�s touched your face, it�s usually tucked into a pocket or bag�another warm environment that�s ideal for incubating microorganisms.

So why aren�t we all getting sick constantly? Because our phones are coated primarily with our own germs, for which our bodies have already developed defenses. But if you share your phone, or borrow someone else�s, you could be exposed to new germs. High school and college students, especially, seem to pass their phones around fairly regularly, so it�s worth keeping in mind.

This issue has been in the news, on and off, for several years:
- An ABC news story from 2006 teased readers with the distasteful question: �What's Dirtier, Cell Phone or Toilet Seat?�
- In early 2007, Wired Magazine reported findings that cell phone and computer keyboard bacteria levels were, in fact, far higher than those of a household toilet seat.
- Also in 2007, KOB-TV in Albuquerque swabbed and tested cell phones on a college campus and found similarly alarming results�including staph and strep bacteria.
- In October 2008, microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona found that cell phones can harbor 25,000 germs per square inch (gpsi) and workplace desktops up to 21,000 gpsi, whereas toilets clocked in around 50 gpsi.
- More recently, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) was found growing on cell phones of hospital staff.
The e-mail we received was a pitch for iSkin, a mobile accessory company that offers phone and iPod cases, keyboard protectors, and workout arm bands with built-in Microban antimicrobial protection. This technology is infused in the plastic of the case, and it prevents microbes from reproducing.

Time-lapse microscopic imaging shows microbes proliferating on an untreated surface, and disappearing from a surface that has built-in antimicrobial protection.

What iSkin omits, but Microban states explicitly, is that this technology is not meant to prevent illness, but to protect items from �stains, odors and product degradation.� In other words, don�t sue them when you end up with a nasty infection.

Ultimately, though, the reduction of microbes will probably reduce your likelihood of getting sick. You can accomplish the same goal by cleaning the phone (and your desktop) with an antibacterial wipe or some rubbing alcohol once a day. And wash your hands, too!