Unclean Baptismal Wash: Fecal Matter Found in Holy Water

If you dip your hands in holy water and steam starts radiating off your skin, chances are you may need an exorcism.

But if impure particles seem to be floating around in the wash near your church's entrance, a new study by the Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology at the MedUni Vienna shows that fecal matter and nitrates could be tainting this faithful wash. 

When researchers took water from the holy springs in Australia, they found that some of the material was tainted and not even safe for drinking. The study also notes that the water held excessive amounts of bacteria, according to microbiologist Alexander Kirschner, who is scheduled to present the findings at the Vienna Hygiene Further Education Days.

Researchers analyzed water quality in 21 holy springs in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, all areas that attract a large number of visitors in Lourdes. Eighteen fountains in the churches in the areas were also analyzed, including hospital chapels in Vienna along different times of the year.

Results showed that only 14 percent of the water samples from holy sources contained no fecal matter and none of the springs that were tested could be deemed safe sources of drinking water. Besides fecal matter, the springs also contained E. coli bacteria, enterococci and Campylobacter, which are known to cause inflammatory diarrhea.

"We need to warn people against drinking from these sources," Kirschner said, via ABC News, who recommends that signs and displays are put in place warning about the history of each spring.

He adds the following, regarding the high levels of bacteria found in the water. 

"In one milliliter, up to 62 million cultivatable bacteria were detected. The more well-attended the church, the more bacteria were found. This may represent a problem that has hitherto been underestimated, especially in hospitals, since there a lot of people with weakened immune systems there," Kirschner said.

All we can assume is that no evil spirit wants to be hit with crap. So whether holy water contains fecal matter or not, at least it's still doing the job chasing away demons. And if it's blessed, that probably cancels out the poo-factor anyways, right?

What do you think?