An office staple could be harboring a gross secret.
Many may turn down tap water, but new research shows it could be the safer option.
And while bottled water seems like a healthier alternative, one office space fixture is actually holding lots of teeny, tiny bad-for-you unwanted guests.
The water cooler may be a workplace fixture, but research says you may want to find a new place to congregate and socialize.
A comprehensive review of several studies found that water dispensers often show higher levels of bacterial contamination than the tap water feeding them.
Published in AIMS Microbiology, the study looked at decades of research on water dispenser contamination across multiple continents.
Several studies showed high contamination levels of various bacteria, with typically 70% to 80% of dispensers exceeding safety limits across US states and countries.
73% of water dispensers exceeded the EPA’s recommended limit in Arizona, and 32% of water vending machines in the Coachella Valley in California had bacterial growth.
Meanwhile, more than 76% of water dispensers in Brazil had bacteria compared to only 36% of samples from tap water.
Bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa can bring serious risk to immunocompromised people and can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections and urinary tract complications.
Coliform bacteria, the most common pathogen found in dispenser samples, can indicate potential fecal contamination in bottled water.
The nozzles of dispensers are particularly problematic, as multiple studies found they had 100-fold more contamination and put users at risk for disease transmission as they directly contact this surface when filling a cup or bottle.
The culprit behind these dangerous germs?
Biofilms, or bacterial communities that attach to surfaces like internal tubing, filters and spigots, and protect themselves with a slimy coating.
They can regrow in a matter of days, even with thorough cleaning and disinfection.
And when these coolers and dispensers aren’t being used after hours or on weekends, stagnant water allows bacteria to multiply.
Dispensers also don’t have chlorine, often found in municipal water systems, that can slow bacterial growth.
The materials used also matter, as rubber-lined hoses promote growth more than glass or stainless steel surfaces.
But despite how popular these coolers are, they don’t have the same regulations as municipal water from the Safe Drinking Water Act.
