Person Germs Doctor Jobs Researcher Small Responsible Making

A researcher at the University of Arizona conducted studies to see which workplaces had the most germs. "Germs" are the very small living things that can cause disease and illness. Before their study was published in 2009, this researcher and his colleagues visited many different types of offices and "swabbed" (used a cotton stick to remove a small amount of something) more than 600 surfaces, including phones, computers, and desks.

The top nine jobs with the most germs are:

1. Teacher

2. Accountant

3. Banker

4. "Radio deejay" (the person on the radio who talks to the audience and announces the names of songs played on the station)

5. Doctor

6. "Television producer" (the person responsible for overseeing the money and management of making a TV show)

7. "Consultant" (the person hired by different companies to give expert advice and/or to do a specific project)

8. "Publicist" (the person responsible for making known to many other people a person, product, or company)

9. Lawyer

The average bacteria per square inch on surfaces in their workspace ranged from 900 for lawyers to 17,800 for teachers. Anyone who has worked in a classroom or with students won't be surprised by this.

The four surfaces with the most germs are:

1. Phones

2. Desks

3. Computer keyboard

4. Computer mouse

Again, these results are not too surprising. The reasons for phones and computers being on the list are "obvious" (clear), but why are desks so full of germs? The researchers found that most people, at one time or another, ate at their desks, but fewer than 20% ever clean them.