Office teabags can harbour up to 17 times more bacteria than toilet seats, a study has revealed.
Results of the study, which was conducted by waste disposal company Initial Washroom Hygiene, have suggested that on average 3,785 strains of bacteria live on an office teabag. This compares to just 220 on an office toilet seat.
And don't think you've been spared if you prefer coffee to tea - there can be as many as 1,746 germs on the rim of a mug, so you'll be in contact with germs whichever hot beverage you choose to start your day.
Communal kitchens were generally found to be the filthiest place in the office, with fridge doors (1,592 germs) and kettle handles (2,483) also topping the list of worst offenders.
So why are teabags so ideal for breeding bacteria?
'If you stop to think about the number of different hands that touch things such as the kettle handle, tea bag box lid, mugs, and so on, the potential for cross contamination really adds up,' Dr Peter Barratt, who works for the company, explained.
Other research appears to corroborate this, with The Independent reporting that a recent poll of 1,000 workers 'revealed that 80 per cent of people working in an office wouldn’t think to wash their hands before making drinks for colleagues.'
Naturally, the doctor suggests that the remedy to this situation would be more hand-washing. 'Using anti-bacterial wipes on kitchen surfaces and regularly cleaning your mug can pay huge dividends in terms of maintaining a healthy workforce.' he advised.
This unsettling news comes as the UK prepares for flu season. In the UK, an average of 600 people die from catching the flu every year.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.