Random tests of the water aboard
169 U.S. passenger planes conducted by the Environmental
Protection Agency in November and December found contamination
by fecal coliform bacteria on about 17% of them —
almost 5% more than was found in tests done in August
and September.
And there's a clue to a possible
source of the contamination: Only 4.8% of the faucets
in airplane galleys produced contaminated water, but 15.5%
of the lavatory faucets did.
"It's not hard to speculate why the
bathrooms might be dirtier than the galleys," says Tom
Skinner of the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance.
The EPA is investigating the sources
of the contamination. Among the possibilities: local water
supplies, unsanitary water-hose nozzles, incorrect tank-filling
procedures, tainted pumping systems or the passengers
themselves.
Because airliners can take on water
several times a day in different cities, some overseas,
the agency says it's difficult to isolate a contamination
source.
Coliform bacteria aren't dangerous
but might indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms
that would be more of a danger to public health.
The EPA advises passengers with compromised
immune systems — such as cancer and transplant patients
and people with HIV — to request canned or bottled
drinks and avoid coffee and tea made with tap water.
The good news is that no dangerous
bacteria were found, says Doug Willis of the Air Transport
Association, the airline industry group.
The summer tests found two planes
contaminated with E. coli, a potentially deadly bacteria
that can cause diarrhea and nausea.
The industry's position is that an
airliner bathroom is no different than any other public
bathroom.
"Lots of people use them. You need
to take precautions to protect yourself," Willis says.
"I suspect our lavatories are no different than the public
restrooms at the EPA."
The major airlines signed memorandums
of agreement with the EPA requiring that they disinfect
the trucks that bring water to planes monthly and the
tanks on planes that hold water every three months. They
agreed to test their water systems once a year.
While news that the water may have
traces of human or animal feces is "a fairly gross variable,"
Skinner says it's no reason to panic.
"People have been flying for 40 years
in the this country and there haven't been reports of
mass outbreaks of intestinal illness on any given flight.
And conditions haven't changed for the worse in the last
40 years," Skinner says.
"It's probably something that's been
with us for a while. But now that we know about it, we're
committed to making it better," he says.
