If The Only Thing Keeping You Alive At Work Is Tea, We’ve Got Some Shitty News For You
Even though we don’t really have very harsh winters in Malta, we still love a cup or two of tea at work. It’s the perfect icebreaker for colleagues, not to mention an ideal short break from any desk job. According to a new study, however, it’s also the best way to get a hell of a lot of germs.
While analysing the bacteria counts of kitchen utensils and appliances, particularly those in offices, scientists over at Initial Washroom Hygiene had some disgusting revelations to share with the world.
Office teabags can carry as many as 17 times more germs than a toilet seat.
That’s right; according to the UK study, your average teabag can have as many as 3,785 bacteria… an absolute nightmare compared to the relatively heavenly 220 on a toilet seat.
It turns out teabags aren’t the only germ carriers in your average office space. 2,483 bacteria were found on kettle handles, with a further 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle.
Of course, results may vary according to office (let alone country), but even a drastic decrease in those numbers would still lead to worrying statistics. What’s worse, a poll of 1,000 workers revealed that 80% of people working in an office wouldn’t think to wash their hands before making drinks for colleagues, something which lead IWH’s Dt. Peter Barratt to contextualise the results.
“If you stop to think about the number of different hands that touch things such as the kettle handle, tea bag box lid, mugs, and so on, the potential for cross contamination really adds up,” he explains.
So the next time you decide to whip up a cup of tea at the office, think twice about the level of hygiene you’re bringing to the table… because the odds stacked up against you are 17 toiletfuls.
Tag someone who loves tea and don’t say anything.
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