Your Water Bottle Has 40K Times More Bacteria Than Where You Put Your Bare Butt
Uh-oh! If this is true we all need to change our drinking habits.
Many of us use our refillable water bottles or reusable tumblers all day every day without washing. I’m actually ashamed to admit that I use mine all week (Monday through Friday) without giving it much more than a rinse throughout the week. However, for what it’s worth, I do give it a good scrub in the dishwasher at week’s end.
There are tons of liquid-craving folks who quench their thirst with a reusable water bottle all day because it’s thought to better for the environment, and it is. However, a new study says that it may not be healthier.
A new study from waterfilterguru.com and reported by the NYPost says that reusable bottles contain up to 40,000 times more bacteria than your average toilet seat. Does this mean that it’s healthier to drink for a toilet? No, it is not.
The researchers examined three common bottle types. Containers with a fold-up spout, the ones with a straw that sticks out, and the squeeze bottles were found to have some disgusting bacteria particles swimming around in all of them.
The bottles, which the study called “portable Petri dishes,” were found to have gram-negative rods and bacillus, which are two different types of bacteria. Bacillus can cause stomach problems, and the others can be worse by causing infections and being resistant to antibiotics.
The squeeze-tops were found to be cleaner than the other two, but they all come in contact with the same filthy thing, your mouth.
Molecular microbiologist Dr. Andrew Edwards of the Imperial College London said he wasn’t surprised with the results because “The human mouth is home to a large number and range of different bacteria.”
Here’s the good news, as long as you’re the only person or animal drinking from your bottle, you’re most likely going to be fine. University of Reading microbiologist Dr. Simon Clarke said, “Water bottles are likely to be contaminated with the bacteria that are already in people’s mouths.”
So let’s review: 1. Wash your bottle 2. don’t drink from the toilet.
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