While loads of people suck from a reusable water bottle all day because it’s thought to be more “green,” a new study might turn you a little green.
A study from waterfilterguru.com says that the reusable bottles can contain 40,000 times more bacteria than your average toilet seat.
The researchers looked into three common bottle types — the ones with a fold-up spout, the kind with a straw that juts out and the squeeze-bottle ones — and found some nasty stuff swishing around in all: bacteria.
The bottles, which the study called “portable petri dishes,” were found to have gram-negative rods and bacillus, two types of bacteria. While the latter can cause stomach problems, the former can be even worse, and resistant to antibiotics.
While the squeeze-top variety were considered far cleaner than the others, they all shared one fatal flaw: your kisser.
“The human mouth is home to a large number and range of different bacteria,” said molecular microbiologist Dr. Andrew Edwards of the Imperial College London, calling the funky findings “not surprising.”
All that said, as long as you’re the one drinking from your own bottle, you probably don’t need to worry. “Water bottles are likely to be contaminated with the bacteria that are already in people’s mouths,” said University of Reading microbiologist Dr. Simon Clarke.
Still, why don’t you wash that thing every once in a while? Oh, and don’t forget to scrub the spouts.