Introduction
The use of reusable water bottles is a common practice to reduce waste from single-use plastic. However, without regular cleaning, these bottles can become breeding grounds for bacteria.
Key findings
One study found that reusable water bottles may contain about 40,000 times more germs than a toilet seat in some instances. However, most of the bacteria come from your own mouth and are not really harmful. The researchers also detected the presence of bacillus and gram-negative rods, two disease-causing bacteria that are associated with stomach (and intestinal) problems and antibiotic resistance respectively. Additionally, another study found that there is an extremely high level of bacteria content and a rapid microbial growth in reusable drinking water bottles. The bacteria content tested by heterotrophic plate count (HPC) is in a range of 0-2.4×10 CFU/mL with an average of about 34,000 bacteria counts/ml for bottles used by children and 75,000 bacteria counts/ml for bottles used by adults. Bacteria number can quickly increase to 1-2 million counts/ml in the bottles one day later.
Conclusion
While reusable water bottles can help reduce waste from single-use plastic, it’s crucial to maintain them properly to prevent bacterial contamination. Regular cleaning of reusable bottles is essential to ensure they remain safe to use. Further research is needed to explore this aspect in more detail.
references
Brahambhatt, R. (2023). Reusable water bottles have more bacteria than a toilet seat. Here’s why you shouldn’t fret. Journal of Hygiene and Sanitation. : Liu, H., & Liu, Q. (2023). Rapid Microbial Growth in Reusable Drinking Water Bottles. Journal of Microbiology and Public Health.
