Travel Tips

September 20, 2004

A surprising number of drinking water systems on domestic and foreign commercial aircraft tested this summer by the US government did not meet federal standards because they were contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria, regulators said on Monday.

The Environmental Protection Agency suggested passengers with compromised immune systems -- usually the elderly, very young or those who are sick -- not wash with water on the aircraft or drink beverages that are brewed or mixed on flights, like coffee or tea.

"This is preliminary and we want to follow up on this and learn more," cautioned Thomas Skinner, head of the EPA's enforcement office.

Airlines defended aircraft water quality and said the government's conclusions were drawn from samples taken from only a fraction of the thousands of aircraft in the fleet.

The industry also questioned the government's testing methods and whether samples were adequately protected from contamination from other sources.

The agency said it was satisfied with its protocols and has expanded its sampling. It is also working to strike an agreement with carriers for proper oversight, maintenance and sanitation of water delivery equipment and onboard storage tanks.

No airline has been cited for violating federal clean water standards.

The EPA randomly tested drinking water from 158 US and foreign aircraft during August and September.

The results showed more than 12 percent, or 20 aircraft, tested positively for total coliform bacteria. Water on two of those planes contained E.coli, a potentially deadly bacteria commonly associated with food poisoning. The agency is retesting those aircraft.

Total coliform and E.coli is an indicator that other pathogens may be present.

Skinner and other EPA officials called the results surprising, and determined it was prudent to alert the public pending further analysis.

None of the airlines were identified, but Skinner said contamination occurred on a cross-section of aircraft and flights. The airlines were aware of the tests while they were being conducted. Some of the flights originated overseas.

Skinner said there was nothing immediately apparent to link the contamination, like common airlines, aircraft, drinking water sources, distribution outlets or maintenance practices or companies.

"Fortunately, no one has gotten sick from airline drinking water. There are no reported cases of illnesses due to aircraft drinking water. And there were no adverse health effects found in the EPA study or any other federal study, for that matter," the Air Transport Association said in a statement.

The trade group, which represents major US airlines, suggested the EPA results conflict with previous government and industry studies showing airline water free of contaminants.

Airline water systems are pumped into aircraft tanks, which feed bathrooms and galleys.

(Reuters)

Terrorism is thought to have made the world a more hazardous place to work and do business, particularly in certain countries that until recently had been considered fairly safe. It is difficult to quantify the risks in one location or another, but the Dutch insurance company Aon has taken a stab at it with its 2004 Global Terrorism Risk map, which estimates the dangers of terrorism-related incidents, such as bombings and kidnappings, in different countries.
The seven riskiest places on Aon's map are, in order: Kashmir, the Palestinian territories, Colombia, India, Iraq, Chechnya and Afghanistan. There is little there to surprise anyone who watches the nightly news.
But just below those seven are some locations that may raise eyebrows. France, Spain, Northern Ireland and Turkey are among the 15 most dangerous places on the map, which was compiled in February, before the Madrid bombings and the latest escalation in violence in Iraq. The other countries on the top 15 list are Pakistan, the Philippines, Israel and the Russian federation, excluding Chechnya.