Could your computer keyboard have more bacteria than a toilet seat?
BOSTON - If you're afraid to touch a toilet seat, perhaps you should be even more afraid of your keyboard.
Our fingers and hands become contaminated with all kinds of germs throughout the day, and research has shown that keyboards, especially those shared between people, harbor large concentrations of bacteria that could pose a danger, such as E. coli, staph aureus, and streptococcus.
One prior study from the University of Arizona found that the average desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Some of these germs can survive up to 24 hours, and viruses that cause respiratory infections can also linger on keyboards and other shared surfaces.
So if you share a desktop with others, wash your hands before and after use, wipe down surfaces such as the keyboard, mouse, and telephone with disinfectant wipes, and avoid eating at shared workstations.
