A mobile phone company has installed dispensers for “toilet paper” to be used on smartphones in the conveniences at Japan’s Narita International Airport.
The dispensers have been put in place in 86 toilet cubicles at the airport’s arrival terminal, where they will remain until March 2017.
Provided by NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile operator, they will be stocked with paper sheets to be used to keep phones clean.
The sheets also bear messages welcoming visitors from overseas, and offering information on how to connect to Docomo’s WiFi service.
The company said the service was a response to findings that smartphone screens have been found to carry more than five times the amount of germs of a toilet seat.
According to a 2013 study by Ofcom, 11 per cent of people admitted to viewing video content on a phone, tablet or laptop while in the bathroom. The figure was 20 per cent among 18 to 24 year-olds.
Which? has conducted a number of swab tests on mobile phones that have revealed “hazardous” levels of germs that can cause vomiting and diarrohea and even infections such as e.coli.
The organisation has urged people to keep their devices clean by using anti-bacterial wipes.
