LOS ANGELES - Dr. Charles Gerba, an environmental virologist and microbiology professor at the University of Arizona, has been studying how diseases transmit throughout the environment for years.While many Americans have been keeping their hands clean to avoid transferring bacteria during the coronavirus pandemic, Gerba warns that phones, which are essentially an extension of ourselves, are actually “mobile germ devices.” He and a group of researchers have been looking at ways to interrupt the spread of pathogens, including testing the effectiveness of different forms of disinfectants, cleaning strategies and optimal hand hygiene in a way that reduces the spread of viruses like the novel coronavirus. RELATED: American Society of Nephrology.