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Study Finds That Smartphones Are Seven Times Dirtier Than Toilet Seats

Study Finds That Smartphones Are Seven Times Dirtier Than Toilet Seats

If you're reading this where I think you're reading this, it's too late

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

Are you sitting comfortably? Perhaps you're reading this on your mobile phone on the toilet? We all do it, and those that say they don't are lying.

Well, how about if I told you that the thing underneath your arse is actually cleaner than the thing in your hand? That's what the scientists say, anyway.

According to new research, an average mobile phone is seven times dirtier than a toilet seat. Imagine holding something that filthy against your face and close to your mouth. Oh, wait.

The results found that phones kept in leather cases are the most unclean - as you might have guessed - but even those in fancy wipe-clean rubber cases and the like were still found to be around six times filthier than your bog seat.

Basically, you're talking into this. I don't mean like on a Sunday morning, either.
PA

This is, in no small part, because of our obsession with being connected to the world wide web at all times, even when we're on the throne. I mean, just concentrate on the task at hand, people.

For the study, a load of mobile phones were taken and given a good swabbing down by Initial Washroom Hygiene - a company that knows a thing or two about this sort of stuff - to see what beastly microbial creatures were resident therein.

Wouldn't you just know it? There were literally millions of the little buggers. Waiting there to transfer to your face while you speak to your Nan.

They used a special substance on the phones and toilet seats that shows up bacteria lurking on anything when underneath a special light. The toilet seat showed up 220 bright spots.

The mobile? Oh, just the 1,479.

On top of being downright icky, there are also real problems here. Like, you can get ill from nasty bacteria that you get on your face.

Smartphones, such as this one, are hotbeds of disease.
PA

Professor Hugh Pennington, who was a bacteriology expert at the University of Aberdeen, told MailOnline: "Swabbing a smartphone is almost like checking your handkerchief for germs - you are likely to find them because of the close physical contact you have with this device several times a day.

"There will be norovirus on phones at this time of year but the bugs on smartphones will probably be people's own bacteria so the likelihood of passing on disease is low.

"However, it might be ill-advised to pass smartphones around between people."

I guarantee you're now thinking back with horror about the times that you've used other people's mobiles, or even asked a random person on the street for one. Gutted.

Things like E. coli bacteria, faecal matter and all manner of other nasty critters that can make you ill... they're all present. It's mostly because you can't tear your eyes off Facebook whilst you have a shit.

You don't even have to stop that - just buy some alcohol wipes and use them. It's that simple.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Interesting, Technology, Weird