Airlines claim that the water from their onboard taps is safe to drink, yet recent tests have shown otherwise. A team of investigators collected samples from 14 different flights and tested each for bacteria and microbes. They found that, on the whole, the bacterial levels exceeded federal government limits by staggering amounts. They also confirmed the presence of insect eggs and some particularly nasty bacteria - including Salmonella and Staphylococcus.
One Chicago-to-Los Angeles flight turned up Pseudomonas, a highly resistant bacterium associated with a range of infections. While the U.S. government sets a maximum bacterial level of 500 "colony-forming units" per milliliter for municipal drinking water, the testing lab counted more than four million per milliliter in a single sample alone. "That's roughly the same bacterial concentration you find in a tainted raw hamburger" says Dr. Hendrickson of Hoosier Microbiological Laboratories.
This isn't the first time, of course, that airline cabins have raised a health issue. Travelers worry about everything from the quality of re-circulated air to the potentially fatal blood clots associated with "economy-class syndrome." But airlines' tank water may fly beneath the radar, health experts say, because travelers wouldn't think of linking it to any bugs they might pick up. "People blame it on where they've been," says Arthur Forni, an infectious-diseases physician at Westchester Medical Group in New York.
Airline representatives insist that these findings are erroneous, but the microbiologists backed the results. Besides, this isn't the first time such results were achieved: Studies conducted by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines even found traces of the bacteria that causes Legionnaire's disease, a potentially fatal form of pneumonia, in one of their tanks.
In response to the public concern these studies have raised, the FDA has made known its intentions to begin monitoring airline water. For now, however, it might be a good idea to restrict your usage of the on-board tap water.
What We Can Do to Protect Ourselves
If we are flying coach, it makes a lot of sense to bring plenty of our own bottled water or electrolyte beverage onboard to drink during the flight. In business or first Class, it is important to always request bottled water to drink. We can also bring our own moist towelettes on board to wash our hands. Always use bottled water to brush your teeth on a flight.
Stomach upsets can strike us at any time - few times are more inconvenient than when flying 33,000 feet above ground. To provide fast relief for stomach upsets, we recommend Liddell's easy-to-use oral spray bottle of Stomach Distress. This day-saving product is a natural way to relieve the misery of upset stomach, nausea, bloating or stomach cramping. It works AMAZINGLY FAST - usually within minutes. It's a must to take with you when you or your family travel or dine out.
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