Scottish body warns people of dirty water dispensers

Scotland, March 2: A Scottish consumer supervisory body has warned people regarding the perils of water dispensers and coolers that were found dirty in a recent survey. As many as 26 percent dispensers in Scotland failed the basic hygiene test.

Lax rules have resulted in water coolers being kept dirty while they still dispense drinking water at public places. Germs and bacteria thrive and contaminate the water quality, and may pose serious threat to health of the people.

Some 23 samples out of 87 collected by Consumer Focus Scotland from water dispensers in Edinburgh and the Lothian and Borders region confirmed water pollution due to bacteria. These dispensers primarily belonged to public places including workplaces, schools, leisure centers, care homes.

The consumer watchdog body warned about the dangers of contaminated water consumption and admitted that the safety rules have to be stricter than ever to ensure proper hygiene.

Out of 52 samples obtained from plumbed-in coolers 9 samples showed contamination and out of 35 bottle-supplied cooler samples almost 14 were infected, according to a inspection conducted by environmental health officers.

The watchdog commented that people with weak immune functions and any existing illness might be worst sufferers of any further water-borne disease through these water coolers and dispensers. A review of the law governing the quality of water from coolers was needed.

Consumer Focus Scotland spokesperson, Mary Lawton, said, "While there are regulations for bottled water, these are applicable at time of bottling and there is no legislation specifically for plumbed-in water coolers. Ultimately these findings suggest that the cleanliness of water coolers has become a low priority for some organizations who have installed them."

Addressing the need for a re-evaluation of the law concerning water quality, Mary quoted: "The time is right for an awareness campaign, not just to get organizations to make sure coolers on their premises are cleaned and maintained regularly but also to get people to use them in such a way that they don't contaminate them for the next person."

Bacteria originating from soil and gut, commonly known as coliforms, were traced in almost 14 water cooler samples and scientists believe that this may possibly be a sign of faecal contamination.

Another possible reason could be cross-contamination, which may occur if tap spout is infected, as in the case of drinking directly from the spout or salivadefine-tainted bottle coming in contact with the tap spout. Few other bacteria suggest irregular cleaning and plumbing troubles.

According to Consumer Focus, A quarterly cleaning is suggested for bottle-supplied machines whereas filters for plumbed-in machines must be replaced every six months. The plumbed-in coolers should have a water supply through mains and not a tank.

Additionally, it said that the water dispenser's outer body must be cleaned once a week and urged people to maintain hygiene during using a dispenser.