Eating lunch at your desk could be a health hazard

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted May 13th 2008 @ 5:30PM

And we're not talking about your mental health because you haven't looked at anything but spreadsheets for four days. We're talking about your physical health.

As you wind down your day in front of your computer sitting at your desk, take a moment and look down at your keyboard. You could be looking at something that is dirtier than the toilet seat in the bathroom down the hall. This means eating lunch in front of your computer might be a health hazard!

According to British microbiologist James Francis four of 33 keyboards he tested were potential health hazards and one had germs at a level five times higher than that found on the toilet seat.

Makes me want to dip my laptop in a bleach solution and never eat at my desk again.

Of course, that's not possible when your boss's demands are forcing you to wolf down a sandwich at your desk through lunch. Just make sure to wash your hands, don't let other co-workers touch your keyboard, and my best advice is to eat lunch with utensils, not your hands.

Source

Filed Under: Health & Medical
Tags: bacteria, germs, health, lunch, working lunch

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-22-2008 @10:19AM Scott said... Well, were these bacteria pathogenic, or just harmless naturally-occurring bacteria? Our world and all the surfaces in it are covered by millions and millions of organisms, but only a select handful will actually make you ill. Reporting that a keyboard is covered w/ bacteria is sensationalism and causes unnecessary fear. Knowing that your keyboard had a strain of pathogenic organism on it may be grounds for some sort of cleaning. Life is too short to be freaking out and washing your hands every 15 seconds.
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5-13-2008 @7:09PM Tamer Brad said... This might mean something, except:

A. Only one of thirty-three produced this result, and
B. Toilet seats aren't that dirty.
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5-13-2008 @11:47PM STH said... Oy, more germ hysteria. So where are the stats that people who have germy keyboards are sick more often? This is just sensationalism, not science. And of course it will get lots of press and people will run around sterilizing their keyboards and dousing everything in hand sanitizer, thereby breeding a tougher breed of bug that's harder to kill.
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5-13-2008 @11:57PM STH said... Just wanted to clarify that my remarks weren't really directed at you, Sarah, but toward the whole germ-phobic culture we've got going here in the U.S. Didn't mean to be snotty!
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5-14-2008 @2:34AM Kitt said... Oh lord, keep them microbiologists away from my desk! I don't get a dinner break (I work swing shift), so I have to eat at my desk, as do most of my cow-orkers.
Every once in a while you hear someone flip their keyboard over and bang it on the desk to get the crumbs out.

Kitt
http://www.kittalog.com
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