Health hazards in your handbag

Is your bag a danger to you? Joanne Christie investigates why we should treat our arm accessories with a little respect

Some celebrity trends are never going to cut it in the real world. Paris Hilton's Chihuahua in a bag would be a ridiculous accessory for the average woman. But the oversized handbags regularly draped over the shoulders of the likes of Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan are a different story. Not only are they fashionable, they're also practical, so it's no wonder the craze has filtered down from the catwalks to the high street.

A big bag can make getting through a day that involves work, the gym and socialising seem like a breeze, but it could also be posing a risk to your health. The swing towards gigantic handbags has led to women carrying more on a daily basis, and it's easy to forget to have a clear-out when you've enough room for everything but the kitchen sink.

Here are a few reasons you should:

Girl germs

Ever had the sniffles, wiped your nose with a tissue and stuffed it inside your handbag? You could be contaminating your bag, says Professor John Oxford, chairman of the UK Hygiene Council. 'The common cold virus will sit on a tissue and could stay active for 24 hours or even longer,' he explains. 'If only one woman is using a handbag, then it is a closed cycle and there's little risk to anyone else, but if there is a child or someone else in the link, it could easily be transferred.'

If you carry shoes in your bag to visit the gym or walk to work, you could be risking bacteria like salmonella and E. coli. 'If you've picked up micro organisms from soil or dog's poo they could survive quite easily in a handbag,' says Oxford. 'Viruses like the cold go into decay, but some bacteria like salmonella actually increase in numbers, so in 24 hours you could end up with more than you started with.' Put your shoes in a plastic bag if you carry them in your handbag.

Food and make-up can also carry bacteria, particularly if they're old. Research by The College of Optometrists this year found 92 per cent of women kept mascara longer than the recommended six months, risking nasty eye infections. Refilling the same plastic water bottle repeatedly can also be dangerous so wash yours out on a daily basis.