Study says Women are germier than men

[Newbie says Hi]

Study says Women are "germier" than men

According to the study by University of Arizona professor Charles Gerba:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17158542/

"Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do."

Gerba goes on to say that "[t]he average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat."

The guys didn't fare much better either because Gerba found the worst overall office germ offender is men's wallets.

The gist of the study is basically (I am paraphrasing here):
Guys... 2 words... money clip.
Ladies... 3 words... anti-bacterial soap.

 

[mattmns]

How is a money clip better than a wallet in terms of bacteria?

 

[Newbie says Hi]

How is a money clip better than a wallet in terms of bacteria?

I was taking liberty from the study in suggesting using a money clip. I could be way wrong here but I'd think that a money clip would provide better air flow than the warm, even sometimes damp wallet, thereby impeding bacterial growth.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Most of the germs in a wallet are yours, thus anyone who steals it is taking a highly effective bio-weapon , I mean who else handles your wallet? People are too paranoid about bacteria these days anyway.

 

[Newbie says Hi]

Most of the germs in a wallet are yours, thus anyone who steals it is taking a highly effective bio-weapon

LOL... it's not so rosy when you consider these days, the theif will probably turn around and sue for medical compensation if he gets sick!:rofl:

Infact, he could claim to be doing you a public service by taking your germ infested money... and you dared to prevent him!

I mean who else handles your wallet? People are too paranoid about bacteria these days anyway.

I think part of it has to do also with the question of who handles the contents of your wallet (i.e. how often do you trade your money for someone else's germ infested money).

Oh, I'm not one of those people who is paranoid about bacteria in general... just the bad ones that make me sick :)

 

[Kurdt]

I knew women were germier than men And they go on at us.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I knew it! It's just like I was told at age five: Girls have cooties.

 

[Newbie says Hi]

Hey God, I know I prayed for a filthy woman, but this isn't what I meant! :)

 

[verty]

Are germs really all that bad? Seems to me that we have been led through ambitious marketing to believe that they are much worse than they actually are.

 

[Newbie says Hi]

Are germs really all that bad? Seems to me that we have been led through ambitious marketing to believe that they are much worse than they actually are.

Most bacteria aren't -- some are neutral in terms of causing damage, and others are necessary components of life. But I think the informal definition of a "germ" is a disease-causing organism... so, one could say that by definition, yes, all germs are bad.

It's confusing since the article I cited seems to be using the two terms interchangably.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

LOL... it's not so rosy when you consider these days, the theif will probably turn around and sue for medical compensation if he gets sick!:rofl:

Infact, he could claim to be doing you a public service by taking your germ infested money... and you dared to prevent him!

Keeping money in my wallet is rare, I usually use chip and pin these days, actually edit that, keeping money in my wallet is rare full stop

I think if a thief gets infected off my wallet it serves him right, justice is served, crime doesn't pay, especially if he's just stolen my wallet

I think part of it has to do also with the question of who handles the contents of your wallet (i.e. how often do you trade your money for someone else's germ infested money).

Oh, I'm not one of those people who is paranoid about bacteria in general... just the bad ones that make me sick :)

True How do you wash your wallet though?

 

[Newbie says Hi]

True How do you wash your wallet though?

"wash my wallet" ? Sorry, I don't follow :)

 

[tehno]

According to the study by University of Arizona professor Charles Gerba:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17158542/

"Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do."

Well well well...I would never think so.

 

[radou]

Most of the germs in a wallet are yours, thus anyone who steals it is taking a highly effective bio-weapon , I mean who else handles your wallet? People are too paranoid about bacteria these days anyway.

It's not about the wallet, it's about the money in your wallet. The money is handled by thousands of people, isn't it? Unless you're talking about a wallet without money.

As for Charles Gerba, he sounds like a sexist. :tongue2:

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

It's not about the wallet, it's about the money in your wallet. The money is handled by thousands of people, isn't it? Unless you're talking about a wallet without money.

As for Charles Gerba, he sounds like a sexist. :tongue2:

OK how do you wash your money then, apart from laundering it

 

[radou]

OK how do you wash your money then, apart from laundering it

I use my toothbrush. :tongue:

 

[Moonbear]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but reading the entire story says the real culprits are food kept in the desk and make-up cases, both of which were more common in women's desks than men's. And then there was one other comment about having more contact with children.

Okay, I have no idea why you'd keep your food in your desk rather than a refrigerator. Don't keep food in your desk and you'll probably eliminate both "germs" and some of that weight you keep gaining.

As for make-up, I rarely wear it, and certainly don't store it in my desk, so no problem there.

And germy children...it seems if men were doing their fair share of parenting, that would equalize. Just hang around the desks of those of us women who don't have children.

Lastly, yes, it's a good question that wasn't addressed in the article...what kind of bacteria? Are we talking infectious diseases here, or ordinary bacteria that will cause no harm? Keep in mind that the study was funded by Clorox, so is unlikely to want to reveal to you that they were all harmless bacteria and you really don't need to spend money disinfecting your desk with bleach.

 

[radou]

Okay, I have no idea why you'd keep your food in your desk rather than a refrigerator.

Probably because you keep your pens and paper in your refrigerator.

 

[Moonbear]

Now what I've love to see would be a comparison of the desks of the germ-phobes (those constantly using hand sanitizer and who won't touch doorknobs for fear of the germs on them) vs normal people.

 

[radou]

Now what I've love to see would be a comparison of the desks of the germ-phobes (those constantly using hand sanitizer and who won't touch doorknobs for fear of the germs on them) vs normal people.

Surprisingly, the germ-phobes desks would probably smell bad because of all that crap on it.

 

[mathwonk]

does that mean more fertile?

 

[Newbie says Hi]

does that mean more fertile?

LOL :rofl:

 

[hypatia]

We may be germier, but its a well known fact that boys have cooties.

 

[turbo]

Another factor may be that women use lotions, moisturizers, creams, etc that leave residues on telephones, desktops, and anything else they touch. At least some portions of those residues may be good nutrients for some bacteria. Bacteria are ubiquitous and if you feed them, they will thrive. As a process chemist, I was also licensed as a waste-water treatment plant operator at a mill and had to run fecal coliform tests on the sanitary effluent as well as test the industrial waste streams. If your lab technique was not top-notch you could be plagued with false positives. The tests are very sensitive and any little bit of contamination (perhaps from airborne dust particles, flakes of dead skin, etc) would screw them up.

 

[Astronuc]

We may be germier, but its a well known fact that boys have cooties.

I was thinking the reason that women may have germier desks is because of all the guys hanging around, and if the guys would just go back to their desks and actually work, then guys' desks would be germier.

Doesn't this guy have something better to do than poke around women's desks?

Moonbear made a good point about infections bacteria, e.g. strep or staph, or good bacteria, some of which actually keep strep and staph in check.

 

[Moonbear]

I was thinking the reason that women may have germier desks is because of all the guys hanging around, and if the guys would just go back to their desks and actually work, then guys' desks would be germier.

:rofl: I was going to suggest it might be all the guys who sit on the women's desks when they're visiting/flirting.

See, it's better to have mounds of papers burying your desk...they protect it from all the germs.

 

[scorpa]

Lastly, yes, it's a good question that wasn't addressed in the article...what kind of bacteria? Are we talking infectious diseases here, or ordinary bacteria that will cause no harm? Keep in mind that the study was funded by Clorox, so is unlikely to want to reveal to you that they were all harmless bacteria and you really don't need to spend money disinfecting your desk with bleach.

Damn Moonbear you beat me to it! We actually talked about this article in my micro class today...and the prof brought up all of those points.

 

[turbo]

:rofl: I was going to suggest it might be all the guys who sit on the women's desks when they're visiting/flirting.

And then there's the drool factor... :rofl:

 

[tehno]

According to the study by University of Arizona professor Charles Gerba:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17158542/

"Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do."

I think the author of that study must be gay!
Or simply hates women...:yuck:
Guy who has ever happen to kiss & lick woman's most intimate parts would have never undertake and publish such kind of a study.

 

[Kurdt]

I think the author of that study must be gay!
Or simply hates women...:yuck:
Guy who has ever happen to kiss & lick woman's most intimate parts would have never undertake and publish such kind of a study.

Unless he caught chlamydia

 

[radou]

Guy who has ever happen to kiss & lick woman's most intimate parts would have never undertake and publish such kind of a study.

:rofl: There could be something to it. He must be very angry.

 

[verty]

Are you guys supporting diluting the truth for pragmatic reasons? That sounds rather odious.

 

[radou]

Are you guys supporting diluting the truth for pragmatic reasons? That sounds rather odious.

What?

 

[tehno]

Are you guys supporting diluting the truth for pragmatic reasons? That sounds rather odious.

I'm certain that study must be biased and fixed !

 

[Astronuc]

:rofl: There could be something to it. He must be very angry.

Or he never got over his fear of cooties. :rofl: