COLUMBIA, S.C. — The most dangerous part of playing beer pong might not be drinking too much beer.
A group of Clemson University students tested ping-pong balls being used in beer pong games across campus one weekend last fall and discovered that they were teeming with bacteria. More research found that dangerous bacteria such as salmonella, listeria, e. Coli and staph on the balls end up in the beer when players make successful tosses into glasses.
The research is part of Clemson’s Creative Inquiry program, in which students pose common-sense scientific questions, then plan research to find the answers. Previous classes have debunked the five-second rule that food is safe to eat, as long as it is quickly picked up after falling on the floor, and shown that double-dipping chips can pose a health hazard.
The goal is to get students to think about the steps needed to scientifically research these types of questions, said food science professor Paul Dawson.
“It’s a learning experience, but I try to make it interesting and fun,” Dawson said.
In most versions of the popular game of beer pong, players toss balls into glasses of beer, then chug the brews. For their work, Dawson’s students first needed ping-pong balls to test. They fanned out over campus during homecoming weekend last fall in search of beer pong games.
When they found them, researching students offered players new, clean balls in exchange for those in use. They recorded where the game was played and how long it had been in progress.
