The much maligned mobile phone, having made news for all the wrong reasons, has just done it again. According to a new British study, it has been proven that an average mobile phone contains more bacteria than the handle of your toilet. Often the phones' bacteria count was found to be so high, that it was capable of giving its owners serious health issues.
Dr Dilip Chavda, practising general physician, says that the reason cellphones have such high bacteria levels present on them is because one can never wash them. “Everywhere you go, you take your mobile along. And through constant contact, you pass on your germs to the phone as well. But once the germs get there, they stay there, as you can’t wash them off,” he said.
Chavda says that one can’t wash off the phone using water, but there are chemicals which can be used to maintain mobile phone hygiene. “There is a chemical named Isotophyl Alcohol, which is often used to keep your watches or other appliances clean. You can use the same, available at most chemist shops and wipe your phone using that,” Chavda advised.
Previous studies on phones have shown that signals can cause headaches, brain hot spots and even cancer. Keeping the phone in the breast pocket have been linked with heart problems, while keeping it in the trouser pockets were linked with decreasing sperm count for men.