Study Finds Offices are Bacterial Hotspots
Posted on June 19, 2012
A study carried out by Kimberly-Clark Professional found high levels of contamination on common office surfaces. Hygienists from Kimberly-Clark Professional The Healthy Workplace Project collected nearly 5,000 individual swabs from office buildings housing more than 3,000 employees. According to the study, which was carried out in consultation with Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Arizona, the percentage of the office surfaces tested and found to have high levels of contamination (an ATP count of 300 or higher), includes:
- 75% of break room sink faucet handles
- 48% of microwave door handles
- 27% of keyboards
- 26% of refrigerator door handles
- 23% of water fountain buttons
- 21% of vending machine buttons
Everyday objects with an ATP reading of 300 or higher are considered to have a high risk for illness transmission.
A Prevention article describes ten other germ hotspots to target for cleaning here.