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Kimberly-Clark Professional
Half of the microwave door handles in office break rooms are tainted, found a new study that examined 5,000 swabs taken from from offices.
Your co-workers may seem friendly but, if a study released today is any indication, they could be aircraft carriers for germs.
According to University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, who researches the environmental presence of infectious bacteria and viruses, employees in offices arrive in the morning, “put their stuff on their desks” where, he says, the germ payload is often more than you’d find on the typical toilet seat, “and then go to break rooms to get coffee. The two things you spread in a break room are office gossip and germs.”
Gerba consulted on the new study, conducted by a division of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation (which manufactures and sells cleaning and disinfectant supplies to businesses). For the study, researchers collected nearly 5,000 swabs from office buildings containing almost 3,000 employees over the course of two years to measure traces of possible contamination on office surfaces.
The study, which focused on office break rooms, found that 75 percent of break room faucet handles displayed a high degree of contamination as did nearly half of microwave oven handles, and a quarter of refrigerator door handles.
“The break room is really the center of germ transfer in the office rather than the individual cubicle," said Gerba. "Everything is shared in the break room.”
For example, he pointed out, many people rinse their coffee cups and push a sponge around the inside. Those sponges can be loaded with E. coli, “so you’re really wiping your mug with E. coli,” he said.
The second big break room habit that spreads germs is greeting co-workers. “Actually,” Gerba, explained, from a pathogen-transfer perspective, “you’d be better off kissing each other than shaking hands” because people cough or sneeze into their hands and transfer the germs when shaking.
In earlier work, Gerba documented that each person’s desktop environment is rife with germs like norovirus (which can cause diarrhea), parainfluenza (respiratory tract infections), and drug-resistant staph (MRSA).
The Kimberly-Clark study did not measure viruses and bacteria directly. It measured ATP, adenosine triphosphate, present in all organic matter. The presence of ATP means a surface contains some form of organic material, which could indicate either the presence of bacteria and viruses, or that something such as food residue is present that could provide a welcoming environment for germs.
The company has an obvious incentive to make workplaces sound germy, but, according to Gerba, they really are. “Those break rooms are as bad as we thought they were,” he said.
This doesn’t mean your office break room is necessarily a biohazard zone, or that you’re bound to get sick if you use it. It just means that any surfaces people touch are likely to be contaminated with something.
A simple solution, Gerba pointed out, is for companies to clean more carefully, and for employees to wash their hands, or use a hand sanitizer, more often.
Read more:
The dirtiest places -- and how to clean them up
E. Coli found on 50 percent of shopping carts
Reusable grocery bag carried nasty norvirus, scientists say
Brian Alexander is co-author, with Larry Young Ph.D., of "The Chemistry Between Us: Love Sex and the Science of Attraction," to be published Sept. 13.
Leave a Comment:
The world is dirty. You'd think everyone would suddenly drop dead. Fortunately, we have immume systems. What a non-story - again...
non-story....stupid....totally agree Washington....dumb media.......ahhhhhhhhh i am scared to go to work now...think I will go play golf lol...
inorite? cram 40 people in a sardine can office and people are surprised germs spread.
The very last thing folks need to be worrying about is a few germs. That's what keeps immune systems primed. What they do need to be scared of is the carcinogens and other toxins in "anti-bacterial" products that are helping to breed the resistant super germs that folks with those compromised immune systems are dying from. This crazy clean freak mentality is WRONG! With scientists now studying this issue, and coming out against it, hopefully these researchers will find better things to spend their time and money on in the furture.
Non-story, as G. Washington states.
Ooooh, the bug monster will get you. I'm sure Kimberly-Clark has an arsenal of products to save us.
Agreed....wake me up when there's actual news, OK? Thanks!
Product marketing has created an irrational fear of germs. The overuse of anti-bacterials actually make us more susceptible to germ-related illness.
Agreed - it is well-accepted medical theory that keeping children in sterile environments will make them more likely to develop severe allergies. Wiping every surface you touch with a chemical disinfectant five times a day will probably injure you more than the critters that were living there.
There is no need for a sterile environment, but there is a need for basic cleanliness.
Shopping cart handles;children sit there, bite the bar, rub their runny buggers from their nose, sneeze, and adults who push the carts aren't much cleaner, as they lick their fingers when eating and don't wash their hands, don't wash their hands after using the toilet (not to mention opening and closing the door handle where other 'non-washed' hands have been) People pass along the flu, colds, staph, herpes, sexually transmitted disease can also be passed along if one doesn't wash their hands, fecal matter can also stay under finger nails. There are general germs that aren't necessairly harmful in and of themselves, but when mixed with various other germs, could do some damage to those who may not have the best immune systems in the world, like small children, the elderly, or others who may have compromised immune systems.
BASIC CLEANLINESS is a good idea. Clean the shopping cart bar with the wipes that are made available, wash your hands with soap after using the toilet, keep your break room appliances wiped down. If you share your work station with another, wipe down your phone, computer keyboard, and general work space each morning. None of these suggestions will rob anyone of the general germs that help to build the immune system. These germs in and of themselves don't really amount to much, but could still wreak havoc when mixed with the abundance of other germs. COMMON SENSE.
I keep forgetting that kids butts go in that top part of the shopping cart. i put my fragiles there like eggs and bread. I wonder how many times i've gotten sick from doing that. Hmmm... I'll try to remember not to do that, lol
This is a story and just because this story doesn't interest you, don't knock it!! A lot of people would fine this very interested. Also, your immune system doesn't protect you at all times, this is why people get sick.
This may come as a shock to you, but there is not one place on this entire planets that is not covered with billions of "germs." Exposure to these "germs" over the history of the human race, has enabled man to develop survivability against these "germs." It is not that there are "germs" everywhere that worries me. It is all these "cleaning" products that guarantee to "kill 99%" of all germs. It is all those "1%" of the germs that apparently can't be killed that's got me worried. This market strategy of raising unnecessary fear of germs in the buying public in order to sell their products will probably lead to direr consequences for all of us, similar to the current problems we face with the overuse of antibiotics.
surprisingly enough if you just take your lumps (colds) you will find you rarely get sick. i havent had a cold or sniffle in 4 years last time i got sick before that was 5 years prior to that. yes in 10 years i have had all of 2 colds, havent had the flu since middle school which was damn near 20 years ago
I had my first cold in 30-years, this last winter. I never get a flu shot either.
I have long believed that office buildings are one of our most unhealthy environments. In so many of them hundreds, if not thousands, of people go there to work every single day M-F. Enclosed in fabric-walled cubes for 8 hours along with so many people who are not healthy or who don't care about bacterial infections or contamination, breathing the same stale air all that time, is, well - sickening. This coupled with the fact that most businesses do the bare minimum of cleaning every night because thorough cleaning has become prohibitively expensive makes it a prime milieu for illnesses of all kinds. It's up to each individual worker to take care of their personal space and to keep it very clean.
There are literally millions of bacteria in your gut and living on your skin. The break room may be 'contaminated', but it's made far worse by any one of us walking in.
They are just trying to get us back to our cubicles and working during lunch. Don't buy into it. Breaks are good for you, lower your blood pressure, make you feel human again.
I'm with Urbn, god forbid we might wan to get away from our desks but this way, we'll be too scared and eat at our desks and keep working.
This is a terrrible article! Perhaps they could tell us something we don't know.
There wasn't even a reference to the "Water Bottle", which I know is a major bacteria dumping ground.
But then again, this fits right in with MSN.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to find out what Justin Bieber is doing.
This I can find on MSM.com.
As far as I am concerned ~ It would be ok for people to start dieing ~ The more the better ! The sooner the better!
I hope there is a mass germ infestation and PEOPLE FRICKING DIE ! DIE all you useless pricks!
Just look at who`s paying for this stupid study. People been using break rooms for decades and didn`t drop dead like flies.
Although I'm not a germ freak by any means, I have to agree with the assessment of break rooms. At my last office people were downright pigs. It seems that many people would leave their cleanliness at home. I'm sure at home most of them wouldn't dream of leaving spills on the counter without wiping them up, food rotting in their fridge for months, or exploded and overflowed food all over the microwave. If they do I really don't want to see their houses.
Ditto, and the problem is, our company won't allow us to order cleaning products, or I would do something about it myself. I would never trust a container or eating utensil left on those filthy, crusty counters nor would I put my arms or elbows on those sticky tables.
office restroom is more dirtier.
The best part for us, is we have a "Cleaning person" who doesn't do much more than empty trash bags. Compounded with it being sort of an "Earthy crunchy" sort of vibe, you can imagine how funky stuff is around here. The fridge, the microwave, the bathrooms (I had to COMPLAIN to get soap in ours!) are just NASTY.
gummy sticky floors tables and desks! that's what these break rooms have always had. YUCK!!
There is this really cool product/technology that stops germ growth without chemicals or cleaning! All you do is stick to where ever you don't want germs AND YOUR DONE! I know it sounds too good to be true but I did my research (the technology is called Sharklet) and it works by a special pattern that germs don't like. I use it in my home on my shelves, cupboards, counters, toilet bowl handle, fridge and stove door. There are some companies using it too and more should follow suit to protect their employees and customers. The product is called TACTIVEX and you can only get it from a distributor. So far this site has the best prices