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Reusable water bottles are great for the environment. They cut down on the amount of plastic we consume, and hey, they come in some really cool designs!
They also have the potential to be really cool little bacteria farms, according to a recent study.
Think about it… Do you wash your water bottle every time you use it? Have you ever just filled it back up and drank from it again the next day, or more?
Yeah, you might want to stop doing that.
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Reports Runners World…
A new study from Brazil suggests reusable shaker bottles (and water bottles) might be more gross than you thought.
In the study, researchers asked 30 gym members to hand over their shaker bottles for testing, and compared the results to that of 30, unused (contaminant-free) ones. They discovered bacteria contamination in 83 percent of the used plastic bottles.
Most prevalent were Staphylococcus aureus (found in 27 percent of the bottles) and E. coli (found in 17 percent).
Yikes.
“We tested in a real-world scenario, by surprise, asking for [bottles of] those who were arriving at the gym at those particular days,” study author Gilmar Weber Senna, Ph.D., professor at the Federal University of State of Rio de Janeiro told Runner’s World. “We did this to avoid an intentional over-cleaning.”
Doesn’t sound like over-cleaning was a problem there.
Sooo… the big question now is, are our water bottles making us sick?
According to Philip Tierno, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and pathology at the NYU School of Medicine, it depends.
Are you washing your hands before you mix up your special recovery drink? Because if you aren’t, then there’s a good chance that’s where the bacteria is coming from in your bottle.
Also, Teirno suggests washing the bottle after each use, and use steel, metal, or glass bottles as opposed to plastic.
…bacteria can more easily adhere to plastics and other surfaces that are rougher. The smoother surface of steel, metal, glass surfaced are more easily cleaned and prevent a biofilm (where bacteria can grow) from forming.
And please, don’t share your water bottle with someone else while you are using it.
Oh, and don’t go to your office, use your bathroom towels, visit airports, use bathroom hand dryers, or, dear God, kiss anyone.
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