GoodHealthMD.com

The Bacteria, Bugs, and your Health

Want to avoid bugs that can cause common illnesses?

Try wearing gloves when you go shopping. Or find a new line of work. A new survey from South Korea found that there were more bacteria on the handles of shopping carts (1,100 colony-forming units of bacteria per 1.55 square inches) than on any of five other commonly touched items. A separate American study suggests that.s nothing compared to the bugs teachers encounter every day . 17,800 per square inch.

Most were most concentrated on teachers. phones, keyboards and computer mice. Of nine occupations studied, lawyers were least exposed to bacteria at work. The University of Arizona team that conducted the study, Germs in the Workplace, also reported that office desks are .bacteria cafeterias. because so many of us eat breakfast, lunch and, sometimes, dinner at work.

The South Korean study ranked .mice. at Internet cafes second to shopping cart handles as germ carriers. Next came hand straps on buses, then bathroom doorknobs, followed by elevator buttons and subway hand straps. Fortunately, you can get rid of any bugs you pick up from any surface simply by washing your hands with soap.

Sources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11343972/

http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/118/113130.htm