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Hygiene alert

Yummee - deliciosi bacteria.

I grew up in a Hong Kong that was itself recovering from less than tender Japanese occupation. We swam in the South China Sea and ate from whichever dai pai dong we came across in the teeming streets of Aberdeen. I rather got the message that a healthy dollop of bacteria did one no end of good.

Now I live in a country that takes cleanliness and hygiene very seriously.

To all my pals who eat at their desk, I offer this cautionary link

The worst places for bacteria in the office are (in order and on average):

• Telephone: 25,127 germs per square inch
• Desktop: 20,961 germs per square inch
• Keyboard: 3,295 germs per square inch
• Computer mouse: 1,676 germs per square inch
• Toilet seat: 49 germs per square inch
• And you might want to wash your hands after you send a fax. Bacteria levels on the typical office fax machine are three times higher than on the bathroom door.