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Study: Men spread majority of germs in the office

John Aaron, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Office workspaces, with their well-used keyboards, phones, and chairs, are notorious for teeming with bacteria.

Previously, researchers had thought women were more likely to spread germs around the office, perhaps because they use cosmetics and are more likely to store food in their desks.

But a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE shows men’s desks contain significantly more germs than women’s.

It could be because men, generally being larger than women, simply have more surface area on their skin to collect bacteria.

But another big reason is that men are less likely to wash their hands. And an expert tells ABC news that men are a bit more cavalier about eating things that have fallen on the floor or other contaminated surfaces.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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