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Posted on Sep 24, 2009, 5 a.m.
Norman Pace, from University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), and colleagues analyzed 50 showerheads from nine US cities and found that about 30% harbored high levels of Mycobacterium avium, a group of bacteria that can cause lung infections when inhaled or swallowed.
Norman Pace, from University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), and colleagues analyzed 50 showerheads from nine US cities and found that about 30% harbored high levels of Mycobacterium avium, a group of bacteria that can cause lung infections when inhaled or swallowed. The team measured the levels of Mycobacterium avium on showerheads at 100-fold greater levels than those found in typical household water, and suggested that water spurting from showerheads can distribute pathogen-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs.
