Holidaymakers come into contact with plenty of germs during their travels, from taxi door handles to sticky tables on planes.
And, although washing your hands with soapy water in the tiny toilet cubicle on the plane might sound like a good idea, a microbiologist has revealed you may be better off avoiding doing this.
The reason? There may be bacteria hiding in the taps.
Jason Tetro told Reader’s Digest: ‘It’s been known for over 20 years that the water reservoirs in a plane may allow microbial growth, including fecal coliforms like E. coli.
‘These are potential pathogens, and they pose a threat to human health.’
Back in 2019, Hunter College NYC Food Policy Canter and DietDetective.com investigated the water quality of 23 different US airlines.
The results were shocking and most airlines were found to be providing their passengers with unhealthy water.
Flight attendant Cecily Anderson revealed the issue may lie with the water delivery system causing potential contamination.
A travel expert has revealed the disgusting reason why passengers should never wash their hands on a plane
Washing hands with soapy water in the tiny toilet cubicle on the plane might sound like a good idea, but a microbiologist has revealed there may be bacteria hiding in the taps
She explained: ‘Water trucks are filled with water at the airport and then they drive it out to the aeroplane.’
After the journey to the plane, the flight attendant shared how the water is then transferred.
The hose is hooked ‘to a port on the belly of the plane’ and then fills up the water tanks.
According to Reader’s Digest, airlines clean out the tanks just four times a year, in line with the EPA’s requirements.
Instead of passengers washing hands with the water, Cecily recommends they use hand sanitiser.
Meanwhile, microbiologist Jason admitted he wouldn’t drink the tap water but would still wash his hands with it.
‘It’s not drinkable, but if you’re careful with your washing technique and dry thoroughly, you can minimise the risk,’ he added.
He also shared his verdict on hand sanitisers, revealing they aren’t effective for ‘pathogens like C. difficile and norovirus’.
Flight attendant Cecily Anderson revealed the issue may lie with the water delivery system causing potential contamination
Microbiologist Jason Tetro admitted he wouldn’t drink the tap water but would still wash his hands with it
It comes after TikToker @howdirtyis revealed how disgusting chairs at airports can be too.
They shared a clip taking a swab to seats at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, before heading to a lab to test the results. And the results make for fairly grim viewing.
The content creator revealed that the petri dish showed samples of skin bacteria from the travellers who’ve sat on them, with the caption explaining: ‘Pretty rough, but looks like mainly skin bugs’.
The clip ended with the warning: ‘Just something to bear in mind if you’re taking a quick nap.’
