A whole new meaning for the dirty phone call

From the pass-the-sanitizer file comes this week’s report that mobile phones carry 18 times more germs and bacteria than the flush handle of a men's bathroom toilet.

Will this lead to more people wearing surgical masks when they talk on their phones? How about rubber gloves? Will someone invent a tissue-paper protector like the ones you find on the seats of public toilets? Will you be able to pick up a pack of sanitizing wipes for your touch screen?

I see a huge opening here for the makers of hands-free headsets. Perhaps one way to prevent those germs from spreading is to not touch your mobile phone.

I wonder, since the iPad is larger, do their touch screens carry even more nasties?

A report from KOB-TV in Albuquerque, N.M.:

Read stories about the report:

The Daily Mail
Wash your hands, caller. Your mobile's dirtier than you think
http://bit.ly/c9d02f

MSNBC.com Technolog
Touchscreen cooties: Your iPad has germs!
http://bit.ly/a9lbPb

The Huffington Post
Phones riddled with far more bacteria than toilets
http://huff.to/b2WAgg