- That doesn't surprise me at all, I'm terrified about it.
Let's hear, how bad was it?
- [Voiceover] Would you put your ear on it?
- No.
- No, that's disgusting.
No, I, actually, I'm a huge germophobe
so I can't even, this is freaking me about.
- My name's William DePaolo.
I'm an assistant professor at the University
of Southern California in the department
of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.
We decided to test out the hypothesis
that toilet seats are not as dirty
as probably an object that you're using everyday
which would be your cellphone.
We took employees here at BuzzFeed,
took their phones and we swabbed them for bacteria
and compared it to a toilet.
We cultured them on plates, put them in an incubator,
and 24 hours later we analyzed them to identify different
types of bacteria and fungus.
What we found was that the toilet which is seen here,
had about three different types of bacteria
and fungal species on them.
The cellphone is much more dirty than the toilet.
There are a number of more species of bacteria.
The toilet had three, the cellphones had
on average 10 to 12.
They also had a lot worse types of bacteria on them.
E. coli was present, we also even found fecal bacteria.
We have a situation where fecal bacteria were on the phones,
not even on the toilet seat.
The toilet bowl was cleaner?
Oh, that's so gross.
Ohhhh.
I'm on my phone all the time, I am always using my phone.
I'm just not going to have to use my phone any more.
- How is that possible though?
People poop on them all day.
I don't poop on my phone.
The minute you took my phone I was paranoid
and now I know why, I just, I'm right to live in fear
for the rest of my life because everything's covered
in booger germs.
- Ew, I need to wipe down my phone right now.
I'm like sweating because I'm nervous.
What?
I don't understand how there's so much crap
on my phone.
Here the whole time I thought it was fingerprints.
It's... that.
E. coli.
- I will gladly take this off
and run to a hazmat.
I don't know, where am I supposed to go?
Where am I supposed to go now?