Water on airlines often unacceptable, finds EPA
CTV.ca News Staff
The tap water on board many airliners is not up to federal standards and may contain E. coli bacteria, says a study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA tested the water from the galley kitchens and lavatory sinks on board 158 planes and found that 20 tested positive for total coliform bacteria. Total coliform is an indicator that other pathogens may be present.
Two of those airliners tested positive for E. coli bacteria, which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness in some strains.
The agency’s testing found 12.6 per cent of the planes had water that did not meet EPA standards. That was just slightly worse than municipal drinking water systems in the U.S., where around 10 per cent of systems do not meet EPA standards
EPA enforcement chief Tom Skinner stressed that the test results were still preliminary and that further testing was needed. But he said his organization released the results so that passengers whose immune systems are compromised would be warned to avoid drinking water from airplane galleys or lavatories.
The EPA also noted that passengers should consider avoiding coffee or tea on board, since the water used for those drinks may not be brought to a sufficiently high temperature to guarantee that pathogens are killed.
“This is something that needs further analysis, but also immediate action,” Skinner said, adding that the EPA will begin further testing in a few weeks.
The testing was performed on small commuter planes and jumbo jets for domestic and international flagged carriers. No airlines were named.
What isn’t known is whether the bacteria came from the original water supply, the tanker trucks that load water onto planes, or the airplane water tanks.
Air Travelers Association President David Stempler says airline water can stagnate in an airplane’s tank, and that it can pick up bacteria, particulates and rust. He says that’s why his group recommends passengers use bottled water for drinking.
Doug Wills of the Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, says the airlines are confident their drinking water is safe, saying, “no one has gotten sick from airline drinking water.”
The Air Transport Association also notes that the EPA results differ from their own testing and from similar tests conducted by the Food and Drug Administration, neither of which found any cause for concern.
Nancy Young, an ATA lawyer, noted that one-third of the contaminated samples came from foreign carriers. Such planes may have brought water from countries with lower standards than those in the United States.
The industry also questioned the government’s testing methods and whether samples were adequately protected from contamination from other sources.
The agency said it was satisfied with its testing protocols.
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