VISITS to most of these public places are unavoidable – but after learning the
number of germs and bacteria that lurk in these everyday places, you might
want to rethink how and where you travel.
Or just stock up on anitbacterial wipes.
We’ve rounded up the top ten unexpected germ hotspots.
Turn away now if you’re eating…
Public loo seat
If you’re one of the 50 per cent who don’t lay down paper before you sit on a
public loo, consider this…
The most common germs found on a public toilet seat are staphylococcus, a
strain of bacteria that can cause spots and boils, E. coli (a bacteria
normally found in our intestines), shigella (the bacteria which causes
shingles), the common cold and even sexually transmitted organisms like
chlamydia and viruses like genital herpes.
But the toilet roll holder is even worse. In 2014 Investigators from the
American TV show The Drs took swabs from inside public toilets and found
that there was 50 per cent more bacteria on the toilet paper dispenser than
on the toilet seat, most likely because people reach for the dispenser with
faeces on their hands.
The Tube
In 2000, a team of scientists at the Department of Forensics at University
College London removed a row of passenger seats from a Central Line tube
carriage for analysis.
They found four types of hair (from a human, mouse, rat, dog), seven types of
insects (mostly live fleas), traces of vomit originating from nine separate
people and traces of urine originating from at least four people.
But the thing you are likely to come into contact with on the tube is the flu
and common cold viruses, because of poor ventilation – meaning the germs
have nowhere to go.
Your family car
Research in 2015 by microbiologists from Nottingham University in 2015 found
between 283 and 700 E.coli bacteria per sq cm in the average car. That’s
compared to 500 on a toilet seat.
Most of this is thought to come from the remnants of food and drink consumed
at the wheel.
They also found plenty of bacillus cereus – a bacteria brought in with the
soil on shoes or on pets’ feet which can cause food poisoning-type symptoms.
Wipe your steering wheel and gear sticks to keep germs at bay and give it a
good vacuum regularly.
Public swimming pool
According to the Centers for Disease Control in America, the average swimmer
contributes at least 0.14 grams of fecal matter to pool water and usually
within the first 15 minutes of swimming.
Other nasties which may go with a poorly maintained pool include E.coli, and
parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia, that can cause diarrhea and
can live in chlorine up to 10 days after it’s chlorinated.
This is on top of the residue of body oils, lotions and hair products.
There have been rare cases of contracting legionaires disease from
contaminated showerheads.
The disease, which affects the lungs, is caused by breathing in small droplets
of contaminated water which can thrive in taps and showerheads.
Children’s playgrounds
They may seem like the most wholesome place for your child to play but a
recent investigation from ABC’s Good Morning America may make you think
otherwise.
It collected 60 samples from playgrounds around the US and found that 59
contained germs and bacteria that could make children sick.
Bacteria and germs included salmonella, shigella, hepatitis A and norovirus.
Thirty tested positive for E.coli.
Children are said to be at greater risk from bacterial infections because they
are more likely to put their hands in their mouth and have lower immunity
than an adult.
‘Fresh’ hotel room
With such a high turnaround of guests it is hardly surprising that bacteria,
viruses and bed bugs lurk in even the poshest of hotels.
A study in 2015 by the University of Houston collected samples from nine hotel
rooms in different price ranges.
It found E.coli bacteria on several surfaces with the most common place being
light switches and TV remotes, and fecal bacteria on 81 per cent of surfaces
including door handles.
You could also be sleeping on a hotbed of germs, literally.
Separate research by Check Safety First found that mattresses and duvets are
rarely changed, even though sheets are, so you could be exposed to previous
guests’ skin, hair and bodily fluids.
Your office desk
According to a study by the University of Arizona, the average office desk
harbours 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.
But it isn’t just your desk. The water fountain handle, microwave door handle
and keyboard are the top five most germ-contaminated spots in office.
On average, the area where you rest your hand on the desk has 10 million
bacteria.
Germs like the common cold can last on computer keyboards and mouses for up to
72 hours.
More dangerous germs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) can last up to seven months.
A sweaty gym mat
The gym may be good for you, but lying on a sweaty mat without wiping it down
with an antibacterial solution probably isn’t.
As you stretch, strike a yoga pose, or take a group exercise class, you could
be lying in a slew of microbes that can cause skin infections, athlete’s
foot, colds and flu, and hepatitis A, according to research by Philip
Tierno, a clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU Medical
School.
The average gym mat contains 100,000 bacteria per square centimetre, including
E.coli, MRSA, fecal bacteria and molluscum, a virus usually transmitted via
broken skin or sex.
It isn’t just the gym mat. Your bag, containing sweaty socks and damp towels,
is a breeding ground for bacteria.
If you’ve put it on the floor of the toilets or changing rooms, don’t be
surprised it it has fecal bacteria on the bottom.
Thriving nightclub
Next time you grind up close and personal to someone on the dancefloor,
consider this…
Scientists at Yale Universtiy have discovered that the average person can add
37 million bacteria to the air every hour — simply by stepping into a room
and stirring up material on the floor left behind by previous occupants.
With poor ventilation, a warm environment and nowhere for the evaporating
sweat to disappear to, a bar or nightclub is a breeding ground for germs.
The same researchers found that 18 per cent of all bacteria in a room —
including both fresh and previously deposited bacteria — comes from humans,
rather than plants and other sources.