Legionnaires' Disease! in your washer bottle?

[AANDYY]

Interesting?

Just saw this on BBC Breakfast.

BBC News - Windscreen water infection risk

 

[trapperjohn]

Wonder how many people who only use a car in the dryer months just put water in the washer bottle for the summer!

Seems incredible to me. Good job its not April the 1st today!!

 

[MarkJunedd]

Does make sense that there is a risk in your washer bottle. Ideal temperature for legionaire growth is ,if I remember correctly, 42C which would be easily acheived under the bonnet.

 

[selectcase]

something i had never thought of!!

 

[davidjpowell]

I normally stay behind the glass when squirting my windscreen. I'm surprised - but then I am most definitely not a scientist.

 

[martin_a]

Sounds like a bit of scaremongering really. That said, I filled the washer bottle up the other day and all manner to scuz floated to the top so I could be one of these people!

I tend not to drink it though so I think I'll be ok.

m.

 

[s88]

Shock horror. Driving with the roof down gets the hay fever going as well.

 

[smiddyboy1]

Sounds like a bit of scaremongering really. That said, I filled the washer bottle up the other day and all manner to scuz floated to the top so I could be one of these people!

I tend not to drink it though so I think I'll be ok.

m.

It;s not the drinking of it that gets you, its breathing it in (vapour).

 

[martin_a]

It;s not the drinking of it that gets you, its breathing it in (vapour).

I know that. Attempt at humour.

 

[grober]

As the article says adding windscreen washer additive kills any bugs off [often contains an alcohol]. Why any Mercedes owner would not add this to their windscreen washer fluid is a mystery to me. In summer you have as much, if not more, problems with dead bugs,road and brake dust and tree sap as you do in winter months with salt and grit.
p.s. you will undoubted inhale a fine aerosol of washer fluid if the heater/aircon system is operating in non recirculation mode at the time you "wash/wipe"

 

[x332race]

Use screenwash; end of problem...

 

[grober]

Good bit of detective work by Dr Isabel Oliver and the HPA who found that professional drivers were five times more likely to be infected by Legionella than the general populace.

 

[mykulmerc]

Well we haven't had a good public health scare for a while so we were due one. What are the effects of breathing in screen wash vapour......ooh, just realised somebody mentioned alcohol, so maybe we should be breathalised after cleaning the screen.

Do the people who don't use screen wash ever think why it doesn't work in the winter???

 

[Spinal]

Interesting... though doesn't seem to far out!

While in Spain I had found a little bottle (5ml approx?) of concentrated summer washer liquid. The idea was you filled your 5-6l with water, and then poured in this concentrate. It didn't have any anti-freeze properties, but worked wonders on bugs!

I wish I could find it in the UK....


M.

 

[Tiff]

It;s not the drinking of it that gets you, its breathing it in (vapour).

Phew. thank **** for that!

 

[grober]

Well we haven't had a good public health scare for a while so we were due one. What are the effects of breathing in screen wash vapour......ooh, just realised somebody mentioned alcohol, so maybe we should be breathalised after cleaning the screen.

Do the people who don't use screen wash ever think why it doesn't work in the winter???

Isopropyl alcohol dude not ethanol!

 

[mykulmerc]

Isopropyl alcohol dude not ethanol!

Is that a single malt?

 

[Palfrem]

HSE - Legionnaires' disease - What is Legionnaires' disease?

Worth a look

It's very real possibility, the bacteria lives in showerheads, jacuzzis, water tanks, etc.

HSE take it very seriously.

There is a requirement to test the temperature of hot water taps every month would you believe.. There is a need to enusre the water reaches 50 dec C within 1 minute to.

Sorry, I can hear the Anorak alarm sounding.

 

[grober]

Is that a single malt?

Some dodgy publicans North of the Border might have claimed that in the past.

 

[kth286]

Shock horror. Driving with the roof down gets the hay fever going as well.

and can get the screenwash over you