Apparently 20% of us are drinking from mugs that have been contaminated.
We have some bad news for drinkers of tea and coffee: 20 per cent of mugs from the office kitchen have fecal matter on them, according to a study.
Charles Gerba, Ph.D., professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, found around 90 per cent of most office mugs carry dangerous germs, and 20 per cent of those carry fecal bacteria.
This is not good news. How and why, we wonder? Are people failing to do the washing up?
Worse... are people... could people be... pooing on the mugs?
We doubt people are pooing on the mugs. But it remains telling that the university study suggests that 1 in 5 are harbouring unsavoury microbes.
Look around your office right now. Can you count five mugs floating about? Odds are at least one of them is sporting some funky germs.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Dr Gerba says that by washing our mugs in the communal kitchen - as we believe is the right thing to do - we're using sponges that aren't cleaned regularly (or properly) and are covered in a horrible assortment of germs. Essentially, we're just pushing the germs around.
If you're one for pinching the pennies, or you just have a penchant for a nice, hot cup of instant, why don't you do yourself a favour - treat yourself, if you will - and take your mug home each eve for a run through the piping hot dishwasher.
You have been warned.
