Your Phone Is a Germ Factory，So StopTaking It to the Toilet你的手机是细菌工厂，所以别再把它带到厕所了

We carry them everywhere， take them to bed and to the bathroom. And formany people， their smartphone is the first thing they see in the morning.

Most concerns2 about phones usually focus on the distraction3 they can causewhile driving， or just how addictive4 they can be.

A 2019 survey found that most people （57 percent） in the UK use their phoneson the toilet. Another study found three in four Americans （74.5 percent） use theirphones while on the toilet. So it’s not surprising that studies have found our mobilephones are dirtier than toilet seats.

We also eat while using our phones and put them down on all sorts of （dirty）surfaces. All of which can transfer microbes5 onto our phones.

It’s been estimated6 that people touch their phone hundreds， if not thousands，of times a day. And while many of us wash our hands regularly after say， going tothe bathroom， cooking， cleaning or gardening， we are much less likely to considerwashing our hands after touching our phones. Moreover， you wash your hands afteryou use the bathroom， but do you wipe down the phone you were reading while youwere in other places？ Probably not. Some of the viruses7—like the common cold virus—can live on the phonesurfaces for up to a week.

Given how disgusting8 phones can be， maybe it’s time to think more aboutmobile phone hygiene9.

我们随身携带它们，上床睡觉、上厕所都带着它。对许多人来说，他们早上看到的第一件东西就是智能手机。

大多数手机引发的担忧通常集中在驾驶时它们可能引起分心或它们令人成瘾的程度上。

2019 年的一项调查发现，英国大多数人（57%）在如厕时使用手机。另一项研究发现，四分之三的美国人（74.5%）在如厕时使用手机。因此，研究发现我们的手机比马桶座圈更脏也就不足为奇了。

我们也会边吃东西边用手机，把它们放在各种（脏的）表面上。所有这些都会将微生物转移到我们的手机上。

据估计，人们每天接触手机的次数即使不是数千次，也有数百次。虽然我们中的许多人在上厕所、做饭、打扫卫生或在花园里干活后常常洗手，但我们不太可能考虑在接触手机后洗手。此外，你用完厕所后会洗手，但你在其他地方看书时会把手机擦干净吗？可能不会。

一些病毒———比如普通感冒病毒———可以在手机表面存活长达一周。

考虑到手机如此令人恶心，也许是时候多考虑一下手机的卫生了。

（英语原文选自：science.howstuffworks.com）