Turns out those that can’t seem to finish their chips and fries and kebabs before heading towards the dip for a double dunk aren’t just gross, but they’re putting you at the mercy of a whole lot of bacteria.

According to Business Insider, a Clemson University research team discovered just how much bacteria can be spread when half eaten chips are dunked into a common bowl of dip.

They dunked bitten chips into a glass of water to measure the amount of unwanted particles it could pass on. And believe it or not, this water’s bacteria per millilitre rate shot way past the water that was only dipped with whole chips.

The researchers also tested out salsa, cheese dip and chocolate sauce to see if thicker substances react differently to this bacteria. But alas, similar results were achieved.

Salsa, in fact (possibly due to its watery nature), was the worst hit of them all – found to be infected with five times more bacteria than the other sauces.

The leader of the study, Paul Dawson told The Conversation, “The lower viscosity means that more of the dip touching the bitten cracker falls back into the dipping bowl rather than sticking to the cracker. And as it drops back into the communal container, it brings with it bacteria from the mouth of the double-dipper.”

Well, so the next time you see someone defiling your dip with a bacteria-laden half-eaten chip, feel free to bat their hand away.

Masthead source: LA Times, Feature source: Life Hacker