# Drinking out of cans

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 4, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578 "2011-10-04T17:21:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578/41 "2011-10-04T23:20:05Z")

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> [@voltaire](#):
>
> A _healthy_ rat’s urine isn’t much of a health issue, but as the previously linked Snopes article points out, a diseased rat’s urine _can_ carry and transmit leptospirosis and hantavirus. I’m not saying that it’s likely that you would get those from a can, but you didn’t ask about that.

Missed that link, thanks.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578/42 "2011-10-04T23:42:16Z")

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> [@tdn](#):
>
> Not really, but I can’t find the snopes page that rebuts it.

Take a look at this:  
[http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/1107.html](http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/1107.html)

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578/43 "2011-10-04T23:45:05Z")

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> [@Steophan](#):
>
> Is mouse/rat piss noticeably less sterile than human piss? If not, why worry about it? It’s probably less bad for you than whatever’s in the can!

To the extent that urine of any kind is sterile, it only really applies to the fresh product. Once it,s been splashed over something and left for a while, the result will be far from sterile

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**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578/44 "2011-10-05T03:36:52Z")

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I believe I’m indebted to a Malcolm in the Middle writer for this vaguely remembered line:

Reese: How are you ever going to strengthen your immune system? Sometimes you have to chew the gum from under the chair!

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**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-out-of-cans/598578/45 "2011-10-05T05:25:31Z")

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> [@Rebo](#):
>
> There’s mouse pee and poop on them, too. 😉
> 
> I sometimes give a half-hearted swipe to the top of a can. I usually use bottles though!
> 
> I wash fruits that I leave out on the counter, especially bananas. It gets the eggs of those stupid fruit gnats off of them. I _hate_ those!

Wait, “especially bananas”? They come in their own wrapper. Should I be washing bananas before eating them?

I normally rinse apples, peaches, and plums because the you eat the skin. No need to wash fruit that you peel - oranges, bananas.

Am I doing it wrong?

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