Could your… CAR make you sick? Stomach-churning photos show just how dirty your car can be β and the spot that’s even dirtier than a toilet seat!
The inside of your car could be even dirtier than a toilet seat, experts warned today.
Stomach-churning images show how vehicles can be home to a cocktail of bacteria invisible to the naked eye.
As part of their grim experiment, a team from LKQ Euro Car Parts took samples from three different car interiors.
The driver’s seat was the worst offender, with almost four times as many disease-carrying insects as a toilet, followed by the handbrake, interior door handles and gear lever.
Stomach-churning images reveal how your car is home to a cocktail of bacteria invisible to the naked eye. The researchers from LKQ Euro Car Parts took samples from three car interiors to determine the bacterial contamination levels. The photo shows the driver’s seat
Experts today branded the results as ‘sobering’ and urged motorists to rethink the way they clean their cars. In the photo the inoculated plate with bacteria from the door handle
Experts today branded the results as ‘sobering’ and urged motorists to rethink the way they clean their vehicles.
Dr. Deborah Lee, a medical writer at Dr. Fox Online Pharmacy, said: ‘The car is a potent source of bacteria, some of which can cause illness in humans.
‘If the car is not cleaned properly, infections can develop and return, and in some people even become persistent.
‘Bacteria are all around us and fortunately we have a good immune system that protects us, but the fact that the car is such a breeding ground for micro-organisms is a sobering thought.’
She added: ‘If we get an infection we have no idea where it is coming from, but it could very well have come from the car.’
Experts tested the bacteria levels in each of three vehicles: a 2007 Audi A3, a 2011 Mini Hatchback and a 2010 Nissan Qashqai.
But they did not disclose whether they were purchased second-hand, when they were last cleaned or whether they had housed children and animals.
They held microbiology slides against eight separate areas, including vents and radio buttons, for 15 seconds.
The slides contain agar, which supports all bacterial growth, even enterobacteriaceae, found in the feces of humans and animals.
Experts tested bacteria levels in each of three vehicles: a 2007 Audi A3, a 2011 Mini Hatchback and a 2010 Nissan Qashqai. But they did not disclose whether they had been bought second-hand or whether they had housed children and animals. In the photo the vaccinated plate a week after a swab of the gear lever
Research has long shown that motorists only clean their cars once every three months on average, usually in response to an impending visit to the garage. The photo shows the vaccinated plate one week after a swab from the handlebars
Inoculated plates were then incubated at 30Β°C (86Β°F) for a week to allow bacterial growth.
Experts found that six out of eight items taken contained more bacteria than dirty toilet seats.
A total of 107 bacterial colonies were identified on the driver’s seat, almost four times as many as the 30 they say occur on average on toilet seats.
The seat belt, meanwhile, recorded 47 colonies, while the handbrake and door handle each reported 41 respectively.
Even the swab with the gear lever saw that 35 colonies were counted.
Of all the areas, the wheel was one of the cleanest.
Research has long shown that motorists only clean their cars once every three months on average, usually in response to an impending visit to the garage.
According to researchers at Queen Mary University of London, there may be an estimated 700 types of bacteria on your steering wheel.