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How Your Germ-Filled Office Can Get You Sick

by Lee Bains on October 4, 2009 at 12:15 PM


We know it. You're sick. Everybody you know is sick. Hell, we're so sick, we've replaced our coffee breaks with coughing breaks. Whether the swine flu, allergies, or the mysterious 'crud,' maladies are first and foremost in the public consciousness these days, and the raging debate over health care isn't doing much to allay concerns. With that in mind, the Wall Street Journal has launched its own investigation to identify the "germiest" places we encounter on a daily basis. Near the top of the list? Brace yourselves, brave workers.

The office building or *shudder* complex is likely the most rampant germ-hole through which you trudge in your everyday escapades. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona's Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, told the Journal, "The biggest risks are in areas of high contact -- like the hundreds of people who have touched that escalator rail before you did." Gerba also noted that, due to frequent contact with food and grimy hands, and due to the fact that they're rarely disinfected, office desks host, on average, 400 times as many germs as do toilet seats. Women's offices are apparently twice as germ-filled as men's, largely due to the mold and yeast produced by improperly stored food.

So, there you have it, folks. Scrub down your cubicle, put the food in the fridge, and tell your co-workers to keep their grubby fingers off your dang mousepad. Tell them science made you do it. [From: Wall Street Journal

Tags: germs, health, office, top, work, workplace

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