Whats in That Desk Drawer?
The moldiest spot in the workers’ offices was the bottom of their desk drawers, where many staffers stash food. “As people spend more time at their desks, germs find plenty to snack on,” Gerba says, in a news release. “They’re breakfast buffets, lunch tables, and snack bars, as we spend more and more hours at the office.” Mold and yeast — which were most common in women’s offices — were also found on the phone, desktop, and computer mouse. The study doesn’t mention the workers’ occupations. In February 2006, Gerba and colleagues reported that in a study of nine office-based jobs, teachers had the germiest workspaces and lawyers had the least germy offices. The Clorox Company funded that study also.
