Research finds water bottle refills ‘worse than licking dog bowl’
Think twice before you reuse that water bottle!
NEW research on refillable water bottles will have you dumping your refills for a straw-top bottle that according to research contains a fraction of the bacteria of other bottles.
Over the past decade, many health and weight conscious people around the world have switched from cold drinks to water when it comes to rehydrating on the go; and those claiming to be ecologically aware have steered clear from buying bottled water to carrying a refillable water bottle.
However, new research from the United Kingdom has proven that drinking from a refillable water bottle can be ‘many times worse than licking your dog’s bowl’ in terms of the amount of bacteria it will bring you into contact with.
According to the Telegraph, EmLab P&K tested 12 water bottles of four different types – screw-top, slide-top, squeeze-top, and straw-top. Each water bottle had been used by an athlete for a week without being washed.
The firm found that:
- Slide-top bottles were found to have the highest germ content, with more than 900 000 colony-forming units per square centimeter (CFU/cm2) on average.
- Squeeze-top bottles had 162 000 CFU/cm2.
- Screw-top containers hosted just under 160 000 CFU/cm2.
- Straw-top bottles were found to contain a fraction of the bacteria of other bottles – just 25 CFU/cm2.
The bottles harboured gram-positive cocci, which can lead to skin infections, pneumonia, or blood poisoning. The conclusion was that drinking from these bottles can be worse than eating a meal from your pet’s dish.
South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) executive director, Charlotte Metcalf, conceded the risk is real but said that – given the health benefits of drinking water – it would be a shame to ditch the water bottle.
“The health benefits of drinking water – from any clean and reliable source – cannot be overlooked,” she said.
“Internationally renowned scientists restated the importance of adequate hydration to maintain good health and well-being at the 12th European Nutrition Conference FENS held in Berlin late last year.
“Locally, the importance of water in the daily diet was highlighted in the Department of Health, which put water – in all its forms – at the top of the list when it comes to serving beverages at meetings, conferences or in cafeterias or canteens, as well as the list it compiled in respect of beverages provided through vending machines and kiosks.”
Metcalf said that, rather than not carry a water bottle, people should simply ensure they wash their bottles regularly or purchase bottled water on-the-go and ensure the empty bottle lands up in the recycling stream.
“Bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments; that is, in virtually any beverage container under the right conditions. Wash all your containers, not just your PET bottles, with hot soapy water and dry thoroughly between each use.
“Further, when looking for a bottle for long term use, pay attention to the design of it and its closure. Make certain you can easily get into all ‘nooks and crannies’ in order to be able to clean it properly.
“You can even re-use the bottled water bottles you have purchased, if you take the same steps outline above to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Metcalf added that inert PET, used to make bottled water bottles, is a well-accepted and safe packaging used all over the world.
“Bottled water also is the best packaged beverage option for the environment; it has the lightest environmental footprint of all packaged beverages — one that can be reduced by 25% if consumers were to simply recycle the bottle,” she said.
