# Do farts contain fecal coliform bacteria? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096 "2002-08-15T21:47:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096/1 "2002-08-15T21:47:30Z")
And can you get sick from smelling/inhaling it? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096/2 "2002-08-15T22:59:29Z")
Farts filter through your pants. Only the gas gets through. Even if you’re not wearing pants, the bacteria is all mixed in the shit and isnt going to get blown off easily. Short answer - no danger. ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096/3 "2002-08-16T00:02:00Z")
Yes. Very unlikely. > [@](#): > > _The Griffin_ > \*\*Farts filter through your pants. \*\*Unfortunately, bacteria can be airborne, so this doesn’t help you a whole lot. In fact, coliform bacteria would be fairly common in cultures of the skin of your lower limbs, for precisely the reasons **Earthling** is concerned about. However, that doesn’t mean you are likely to inhale a sufficient quantity to make you sick. I’m sure someone wants a cite for that culture statement, so I’ll wander off to find it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096/4 "2002-08-16T00:29:00Z")
Yes bacteria can be airborne, but I really doubt you’d get any in a fart. You could try farting on a petrie dish and trying to grow cultures… ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096/5 "2002-08-16T01:41:36Z")
I am having trouble finding a cite. I don’t believe it’s because my statement is untrue, but rather because it’s beside the point and of little consequence to most of the articles and such out there. I should clarify what I said earlier. Pants will filter the gas - probably even the majority of bacterial organisms. If they’re, say 98% effective, you still get 2% penetration. Of an admittedly miniscule portion of the bacteria in your large intestine. However, we’re talking about big numbers here, as you can gather from this source… > [@](#): > > _from the [University of Waterloo](http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/course_notes/biology/biol241/pathogenicity.doc)_ > \*\*fecal matter is 1/3 bacteria and 2/3 concentrated, digested material \*\*Nonetheless, if you get a scrape on your thigh or other nearby skin, chances are much greater that any infection resulting will be from Staph or other flora resident before you started farting. Now, where’d I put that petri dish? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-farts-contain-fecal-coliform-bacteria/124096/6 "2002-08-16T03:01:07Z")
Fart on a petri dish, and you will get colonies galore, thru pants or not. QtM, MD, with fond memories of Microbiology lab.