Taking a shower is a staple of personal hygiene, and is generally considered a necessity. It is important to stay clean, and showers provide us with that luxury, but the environment that cleans us can also house a number of harmful substances and organisms if not properly maintained. Mirror posted an article detailing a few different ways “your shower could kill you”, and while the article is a little more alarmist than necessary it does provide some interesting facts on a few different bacteria, fungi, and pathogens that can help identify preventative measures. Additionally, the article identifies which populations are the most susceptible to different organisms/bacteria, and some treatment suggestions. One of the harmful organisms mentioned in the article is the Legionella bacterium. Legionella thrive in hot water, and typically infect through the inhalation of aerosolized water droplets containing the bacteria. A large portion of documented Legionnaires’ disease cases originate in a shower or hot tub when the water is hot enough to produce steam. The risk of getting Legionnaires’ disease in general is low, but there are a few things that can help to reduce the risk even more. Periodically cleaning your shower head is one of the most important and simple things that can be done. Stagnant water left inside shower heads can generate biofilm and increase the risk of coming in contact with a number of different harmful bacteria, not just Legionella. Cleaning your shower head isn’t necessary every time you take a shower, but it is important to occasionally make sure that the water you’re bathing in is as clean as you think it is. Please see the Mirror article: here
Take the Time to Clean Your Shower was last modified: January 12th, 2016 by