Mobile phones, which are at the centre of debate for their cancer-causing radiation, are now found to be harbouring potentially dangerous bacteria.
An international study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Infection Control said that mobile phones used by patients, patients’ companions, visitors, and health care workers are found to have potentially dangerous bacteria. Some mobiles used by these people have also been found to have multidrug-resistance pathogens including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
This is not the first such report confirming the infection risks associated with cellphones. Two years ago a study found deadly microbes Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in cell phones owned by the staff of a Navi Mumbai hospital.
Usually, mobiles are handled with sweaty hands, which makes them a good medium for bacterial growth.
This news arrived in the backdrop of a radiation warning from the World Health Organization, which said that the radiation coming from mobile phones are cancerous in nature, though it went on to add that further study was needed in this regard.