One in six mobile phones contaminated with faeces, and Glasgow is dirtiest of all

THE hands of one in five Glaswegians are contaminated with faecal matter, according to a damning study released today which claims Scotland’s largest city is the dirtiest place in Britain.

Scientists who analysed samples from the palms and mobile phone handsets of hundreds of people found that bacteria levels in Glasgow are more than ten times higher than other parts of the country.

One in five people in the city (20 per cent) were found to have traces of E coli on their hands, with one out of every 20 phones (5 per cent) also harbouring the dangerous bacterium, which is commonly associated with stomach upsets and is of faecal origin.

In all, Glasgow was found to have an average bacterial load – the total number of bacteria measured in each sample – of 1880, dwarfing the equivalent reading of 172 in London.

Edinburgh, the other Scottish city examined by researchers, was deemed the fifth-worst place in the UK for bacteria, with an average load of 993. One in ten people in the capital (10 per cent) had E coli on their hands, with nearly one in five phones (18 per cent) contaminated.

The study by scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, found that one in six mobile phones across Britain is contaminated by faecal matter.

Its authors said the issue of harmful bacteria was a “nationwide problem”, adding that their findings proved that, contrary to what many people claim, not everyone washes their hands with soap after going to the toilet.

The report, which spanned a dozen locations, showed that although 95 per cent of people said they washed their hands with soap where possible, 92 per cent of phones and 82 per cent of hands had bacteria on them. Across the UK, an average of 16 per cent of hands and 16 per cent of phones were found to harbour E coli, which has been implicated in serious cases of food poisoning such as the fatal O157 outbreak in Germany in June.

Dr Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “This study provides more evidence that some people still don’t wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet.

“I hope the thought of having E coli on their hands and phones encourages them to take more care in the bathroom – washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives.”

The findings were released ahead of the annual Global Handwashing Day tomorrow. Researchers travelled to 12 cities and took 390 samples from mobile phones and hands which were analysed in a lab to find out the type and number of germs lurking there.