Thursday, December 3, 2009
During your daily shower, you probably don’t expect to get a face full of bacteria when you turn on the water, but that might be exactly what’s spraying out of the showerhead.
Bathing in bacteria: Showerheads can be a perfect spot for growing bacteria.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder tested the biofilm (the scummy stuff on the inside of the showerhead) of 45 showerheads in nine cities across the country. The experiment found that levels of bacteria were 100 times higher on the biofilm than in pre-shower water.
The inside of a showerhead is moist, warm and dark — the perfect place for bacteria to grow. Some of the bacteria the researchers found were what you would normally expect to see in soil and water, says Laura Baumgartner, one of the researchers of the study. But the researchers also found Mycobacterium avium, a harmful bacteria that can cause respiratory diseases and infections in people with weakened immune systems, as well as the elderly.
Fortunately the bacteria probably won’t harm the majority of healthy people. If you’re still worried about germy showerheads, Baumgartner suggests letting the water blast for about 30 seconds before stepping into the shower. Because some of the particles are small enough to inhale, this will give the bacteria time to spray out and dissipate.
Changing your showerhead every six months would also decrease the level of germs because it takes about six months for enough harmful bacteria to build up. If you’re using a plastic showerhead, consider switching to a metal one because germs stick better to plastics than metals, Baumgartner says. Or just skip the shower altogether and take a bath.
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