Your festival wristband could give you food poisoning

It’s normal to want to cling onto the happy memories of a festival once you've returned home to reality. Keeping your wristband on after the event can be tempting as a nostalgic memento, but a study from Dr Allison Cottell at the University of Surrey has indicated this could put your health at risk.

Dr Cottell’s findings revealed that wristbands are a breeding ground for germs that are over 20 times more abundant with bacteria than normal clothes.

Two samples were tested and one that had been on the wearer’s wrist for two years contained a concentration of close to 9,000 micrococci and 2,000 staphylococci. While these are microorganisms that exist on human skin, they are not usually found in such high levels.

Speaking about the study, Dr. Cottell said: “Staphylococci are usually harmless although they can cause boils and infections of cuts and grazes, and can also cause a form of acute food poisoning if they are ingested. It would be advisable not to wear them if working in industries such as healthcare or food preparation, where there is a risk that the bacteria may spread to other people.”

Next time we suggest you commemorate your experience with pictures.

[Via: Science Dump]

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter