Researchers Find Average Desk Harbors 400 Times More Bacteria Than Average Toilet Seat

Market Wire News posted the following story (here is an excerpt): "Working late again? You’re not alone, according to a new study by University of Arizona germ guru Dr. Charles Gerba. You have plenty of bacteria keeping you company.

The study, the first of its kind to measure normal bacterial levels inside offices across America, found paper isn’t all that’s piling up on desks. In fact, the average desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat."

This study is going to make a few people very nervous, especially the hypochondriacs of the world. I have a problem with studies like these, in the fact they create fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD).

Over the last few months I have read a few more stores like this, such as:

• "Student finds toilet water cleaner than ice at fast food restaurants" (The title of the article says it all, so I am not going to comment any further, read the article if you want to know more.)
• "Get in the know about the cost of your H2O": Here is an except from the article: "In a study published in 2000 in the Archives of Family Medicine, nearly a fourth of bottled water samples tested had higher levels of bacteria than Cleveland tap water. In fact, a lot of bottled water is tap water."

The fact is bacteria is part of our everyday lives, and most of its harmless or beneficial. Don't get me wrong, there is harmful bacteria out there, but thank God it doesn't exist in the same quantities as the other forms.

In never hurts to be clean, but the key is not to become a fanatic about it. There are some basic things that you can do to help reduce your exposure to bacteria and help protect you.

The main one is wash your hands after certain activities (such as handling raw meat, using the restroom, etc.). Another thing you can do is once a week clean your desk and other work surfaces with antibacterial wipes or similar product.