- Tests found water bottles were harbouring dangerous germs like E.coli
- Some had more harmful bacteria than a dog bowl, toy or a toilet seat
- Slide-top types found to be the worst and those with a straw the best
Kate Pickles For Mailonline
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Most gym-goers make regular trips to the water cooler armed with a plastic bottle, happy they’re doing their bit for the environment while keeping hydrated.
But while quenching your thirst after pounding the treadmill is a vital part of any workout, it turns out you could actually unwittingly make yourself sick.
New research has discovered these plastic water bottles can harbour more germs than a toilet seat.
In fact, slugging from the same refillable vessel was found to be ‘many times worse than licking your dog’s toy’.
Tests carried out on these four types of water bottle found each harboured the most harmful types of bacteria, gram negative rods – such as E.coli and salmonella
Tests revealed thousands of moisture-loving bacteria crawling all over the spouts and caps.
Research by TreadmillReviews.net lab-tested 12 refillable water bottles that had been used by athletes over the course of a week.
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In fact, the average person’s water bottle was found to have over 300,000 colony forming units of bacteria.
Perhaps most surprising, most of these germs were the most harmful types – known as gram negative rods – such as E.coli and salmonella.
There were a host of bacteria linked to skin infections, pneumonia as well as blood poisoning.
SO WHICH FAIRED BEST AND WORST?
Slide-top versions had the highest germ content, with more than 900,000 colony-forming units per square centimeter (CFU/sq) cm on average.
They had the most gram-positive cocci, which have been linked to skin infections, pneumonia and blood poisoning.
Squeeze-top bottles were next with 162,000 CFU/sq cm while screw-top containers had around 160,000 CFU/sq cm.
Meanwhile, straw-top bottles were by far and above the winners with only 25 CFU/sq cm.
Many of the water bottles were found to contain more colony-forming units per square centimetre (CFU) of harmful bacteria than notoriously dirty things such a dog bowl, kitchen sink, toothbrush holder and chopping board
Slide-top drinks containers were found to harbour the most harmful bacteria at 933,340 colony-forming units per square centimetre (CFU) whereas straw-top bottles had the least
It is thought it could be because water drips to the bottom of the straw rather than sticking around to attract moisture-loving germs.
Those found at the tops of straws were ‘mostly harmless.’
‘Based on our test results, we suggest opting for a straw-top bottle, both for the low prevalence of bacteria and the lack of harmful germs,’ the fitness website said.
While no tests were performed on re-using standard shop-bought mineral water bottles, the results suggest there would be a similar high level of germs.
The Missouri-based website says stainless steel vessels are a better choice than plastic.
It also recommends running bottles through the dishwasher or handwashing thoroughly after every use.
The study found the average athlete’s water bottle to contain 313,499 CFU, well above the average germs found in a dog bowl and kitchen sink. The website recommends putting bottles in the dishwasher or handwashing them thoroughly after use
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