Holy Water Bacteria: Samples With Up To 62 Million Per Milliliter Found In Austrian Study

So much for anointing the sick.

An Austrian study of holy water that tested 21 springs in Austria and 18 fonts in Vienna found that samples contained up to 62 million bacteria per milliliter, ABC News reported.

Additionally, 86 percent of samples tested contained dangerous levels of bacteria commonly found in fecal matter, such as E. coli.

With that much bacteria, you'd be better off blessing yourself with melted ice from a fast-food restaurant in China.

Water containing high concentrations of such harmful bacteria could lead to serious gastrointestinal disease if ingested. According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Water and Health, that's a major threat to people who use water from holy springs as personal drinking water.

"We need to warn people against drinking from these sources," said Dr Alexander Kirschner, study researcher and microbiologist at the Medical University of Vienna, which conducted the study.

Study authors also contended that holy water in busy churches and hospital chapels could potentially spread infection -- the busier the church or hospital, the higher the risk.

Just something to keep in mind for your next exorcism.