Germs in drinking water

TÜV Rheinland: germs in numerous water samples

02/08/2011

The drinking water in public buildings is often heavily contaminated with germs. This is the conclusion of TÜV Rheinland and the ARD broadcast „Plus minus“ in a nationwide study of tap water quality in public buildings. The reason for the sometimes considerable bacterial load are above all the bad pipes and the dirty taps.

Washing hands on public toilets is often associated with contact with harmful germs, reported TÜV Rheinland on Tuesday in Cologne. In the investigation of the TÜV´s and the ARD broadcast „Plus minus“ out of a total of 50 tap water samples, a significant increase in germ load was detected in around half of the samples. In some cases, the detected bacterial contamination exceeded the permissible limit by eight times, explained TÜV Rheinland.

Legionella, coliform bacteria and pseudomonads in the water
The examination of the tap water quality by the TÜV Rheinland revealed that the drinking water was often exposed to significantly higher levels of health-threatening bacteria. Thus, in the drinking water samples from public buildings (for example hospitals, station toilets), among other things, coliform bacteria, legionella and the so-called pseudomonads (also known as hospital germs) have been detected. The germs can trigger a variety of health problems that focus on the coliform bacteria usually on the digestive tract and cause typical symptoms here as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. However, the so-called enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, which last appeared in Germany during the EHEC epidemic, also belong to the coliform bacteria and, in addition to the previously mentioned health impairments, can bring about considerably more far-reaching health consequences. For example, EHEC symptoms also include damage to the kidneys and even acute kidney failure. The legionella detected in four drinking water samples are known to cause Legionnaires' disease, which in turn is often associated with life-threatening lung disease. The so-called pseudomonads, which were detected in two water samples, are pro-inflammatory germs, which can sometimes trigger serious infections in the organism, reports TÜV Rheinland.

Causes of germ contamination in tap water
Altogether the TÜV Rheinland and the ARD magazine judged „Plus minus“ The bacterial contamination of tap water in public buildings is extremely critical, as the different bacteria can sometimes cause considerable health problems. To explain is the load of the water samples, for example, by broken pipes or increased nucleation in stagnant or too slowly flowing water. Also, the lack of hygiene, such as poorly cleaned faucets, bring about bacterial contamination of tap water. The experts of the TÜV Rheinland advise to reduce the germ load, to let the tap water run briefly before the removal or before the hand washing. In order to avoid standstill in the pipes and thus reduce the risk of germination, water from all taps should regularly flow, according to TÜV Rheinland. In addition, the flow temperature for hot water must be set to at least 50 degrees Celsius, in order to avoid the development of harmful germ loads.

Health complaints from germs in tap water
According to the experts, the proven bacterial contamination in the tap water samples are a serious threat especially to people who are already at risk for health. „For people with weakened immune systems, these pressures can pose a health hazard“, stressed the specialist for microbiology of TÜV Rheinland, Walter Dormagen. In particular, the legionella load of tap water require an acute need for action, said the expert. The operators of the affected public buildings were informed about the contamination of their tap water and now asked themselves to correct the germ load, reported the TÜV Rheinland.

Microbial load of tap water has been known for some time
Already in September of last year, the health authorities came in a nationwide investigation to the conclusion that tap water is often contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, especially in public buildings such as Bundeswehr barracks, day care centers, hospitals and other public facilities. The water samples taken throughout Germany, the evaluation of which was carried out by the University of Essen, also showed some significant contamination in 2010, reported Prof. Hans-Curt Flemming from the University of Essen, who was supervised by the evaluation, at the end of September 2010. The expert complained At that time, the health authorities as a whole were understaffed and therefore the density of checks did not meet the requirements. Also in 2010, the study of tap water in public buildings was relatively frequently found to be contaminated with legionella, pseudomonads and coliform bacteria. However, as evidenced by the current study by TÜV Rheinland, not much has changed since then with regard to the hygiene standards of tap water in public buildings. (Fp)

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Image: Dieter Schütz