A seventh-grade student in Florida was awarded first place for her science fair project that found some toilet water is cleaner than ice served at area restaurants, according to a Local 6 News report.

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Student Jasmine Roberts checked five fast-food restaurants near the University of South Florida and found there was more bacteria in the ice people were drinking than there was in the same restaurants' toilet water.

"When I get ice, sometimes I order ice just to chew on it, and now I know I'm not going to do that anymore just because of the amount of bacteria I found," Roberts said.

Since the Benito Middle School student completed the project, she has received international attention.

Dr. Daniel Lim, who is a microbiology professor at USF, said he was not surprised the toilet water had less bacteria than restaurant ice.

"If you don't clean the receptacle, the materials routinely, there may be a possibility of biofilm or residual material remaining in that receptacle," Lim said.

Jim Griffith, the president of Suncoast Ice Machines, sells, leases and services ice machines. He also wondered about the cleanliness of the ice dispensers the students sampled.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation checks ice machines during restaurant inspections twice a year.

Roberts won $800 for the project.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.