Research has shown that drinking from the community coffee station at work can make you sick. It only takes one person with infectious germs to touch the coffee pot handle in order for those germs to spread throughout the office by lunch, depending on the size of the office. Do yourself a favor and bring in your own coffee. While you will still be at risk when you touch door knobs and other commonly touched surfaces, but you will be reducing your odds of contamination. Another major benefit to bringing your own coffee is you would be able to enjoy your Sasquatch Coffee at work. Read some details from this germ spreading study below.
The University of Arizona researchers conducted their study at an office building with 80 employees. They contaminated a push-plate door at the building entrance with a virus called bacteriophage MS-2. It doesn’t infect people yet is similar in shape, size and survivability to common cold and stomach flu viruses.
Within two hours, the virus had contaminated the break room—coffee pot, microwave button, fridge door handle—and then spread to restrooms, individual offices and cubicles. There, researchers found, the virus had heavily contaminated phones, desks and computers. By four hours, they found the virus on more than 50% of the commonly touched surfaces and on hands of about half of the employees in the office.
SRC: Read more of this study’s findings at: www.online.wsj.com/articles/germs-at-the-office-are-often-found-on-keyboards-and-at-coffee-stations-1412032235