Source: BBC Health
Kidding! Sort of. A study from the University of Colorado at Boulder (yes, where they ski) suggests that dirty shower heads are an effective delivery system for harmful bacteria, M. avium (Mycobacterium avium). Levels in shower heads tested 100 times higher than in faucets.
Says Norman Pace, one of the researchers, “If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on…you are probably getting a particularly high load of [M. avium], which may not be too healthy.”
Okay, so it’s not really a problem for the majority of healthy people (or the non-showering types). However, if you have a weak or compromised immune system or are elderly or pregnant, you are susceptible to infection. Of 50 shower heads in 9 cities and 7 states including NYC and Denver, 30% had levels which were a health risk. Hot tubs carry a similar risk, according to researchers.
Only 30%? So why mention it? Because it is a potential source of illness. That plus it’s always fun to make fun of the French.
Posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esquire