Every day in the Computing Commons, about 2,500 students use the same 344 computers. And the papers they print may not be the only thing they're walking away with -- those computers could make them sick.
Bacteria and viruses can live on keyboards for up to 72 hours, said Chuck Gerba, a professor of environmental microbiology at UA and the author of a 2002 study on bacteria levels in the workplace.
"It's all in the hands," Gerba said, naming keyboards as a culprit. "You put your fingers in your nose or mouth or eyes and get sick that way."
Gerba said that in 2002 he found office keyboards were more contaminated than bathrooms. The average desk has as much as 400 times the amount of bacteria as the average toilet seat, the report showed.
Gerba said a university setting was "pretty much the worst-case situation" for bacteria, calling communal computing sites "germ-transfer stations."
With so many people using the same computers, universities are a better breeding ground for bacteria than workplaces, Gerba said.
"You're dealing with highly susceptible, younger people," he said.
Sarah Hughes, assistant vice provost for information technology, said ASU is aware of potentially dangerous bacterial levels at communal computing sites.
"We do our best to keep up," she said. "But there are a lot of people coming through."
Hughes said the University conducts thorough cleanings of the computing sites over break periods.
In between breaks, the University has a "perpetual cleaning" method, cleaning keyboards and mice every night, mostly with Windex, said Colleen Bennett, computing sites coordinator for the University.
ASU also provides a backup for students who may be concerned about their workstations, Hughes said.
"We keep antibacterial wipes at service counters for anyone who feels they need some extra cleaning," she said.
The wipes are free, Hughes added.
But when asked, a Computing Commons employee said no wipes were available and he had no knowledge of the policy.
Bennett said this was a mistake.
"They definitely have some," she said, adding there were cases of antibacterial wipes in their warehouse.
Bennett said the employee may have been misinformed, and said she would look into the situation.
Jesse Brown, an undeclared sophomore who uses the Computing Commons three or four times a week, said he was unaware antibacterial wipes should be available.
"I've never seen anyone standing over a computer, wiping it down," he said.
Brown said he has never been concerned about levels of bacteria.
"I figure, I'm on a college campus, it's going to be everywhere," he said.
Jon Leung, a humanities senior, said he thought ASU's cleaning policy seemed sufficient.
"It sounds good, as long as they're actually doing it," he said. "As long as they're not just saying it so we keep using the computers."
Gerba said students could take steps to protect themselves.
"Students should wash their hands, or at the very least use alcohol gel to kill bacteria," he said. "Just take a little caution in multiple-use, high-traffic situations.
"These studies have shown that proper cleaning can reduce cold [and] flu instances by 50 percent."
"It's all in the hands"
UA microbiology professor Chuck Gerba said that while you shouldn't be overly paranoid about germs, there are some measures he recommends to keep from getting sick:
-Wash your hands frequently
-Carry disinfecting wipes
-Use alcohol-based hand gels
-Watch out for phones -- they're covered with even more germs than keyboards
Reach the reporter at andrea.adams@asu.edu.
