Men's Desks Have More Germs

Men's desks have more germs in the office, says a new study.

Researchers say that men's desks are more likely to be a haven for germs because men are larger in size than women thus having more surface area to carry germs and because they just are dirtier than women.

"Men are known to wash their hands and brush their teeth less frequently than women, and are commonly perceived to have a more slovenly nature," wrote Scott Kelley and colleagues, authors of the study.

The study found that humans were responsible for most of the germs in the office.

"Humans are spending an increasing amount of time indoors, yet we know little about the diversity of bacteria and viruses where we live, work and play. This study provides detailed baseline information about the rich bacterial communities in typical office settings and insight into the sources of these organisms," said Dr. Scott Kelley, lead author on the study.

Also, chairs and phones were most contaminated of the five surfaces- chairs, phones, computer mice, computer keyboards, and desktops, the researchers said.

There is no need to panic and start spraying antibacterial solutions at your colleagues. Researchers say that there were no incidences of people getting sick because of the presence of germs in the office.

"It’s a baseline of what a healthy, normal situation is like. These were just regular office buildings, where we have no evidence that people are getting sick," said Dr. Kelly to New York Times. "But if we do have a sick building, we can now look at what’s going on there."

The researchers found that offices in Ney York were more contaminated than offices in San Francisco.

Earlier study that found office break rooms were the filthiest places in an office.

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