Interesting article about windsheild washer resivoirs

Jstas
Jstas Posts: 14,808
edited June 2010 in The Clubhouse
Windscreen water infection risk

By Emma Wilkinson
Health reporter, BBC News

The HPA's Dr Isabel Oliver explains the risk from windscreen washer water

Windscreen wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires' Disease in England and Wales, the Health Protection Agency says.

Stagnant, warm water is a breeding ground for the Legionella bacterium, which when inhaled causes pneumonia.

Yet adding screenwash kills the bacteria and could save lives, the Agency advised.

The finding came after researchers spotted that professional drivers are five times more likely to be infected.

Legionnaires' disease is fairly rare. Most cases are sporadic and a source of the infection is not found.

The number of cases vary from year to year, but in 2009 there were 345 in England and Wales - although some infections were caught overseas.

It mainly affects the over 50s and is generally more common in men.

Early symptoms feel similar to flu with muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever. It is fatal in around 10-15% of patients.
Driving

To work out why people who spend a long time driving were at higher risk of infection, the research team in the south-west branch of the HPA carried out a questionnaire of people infected.

They found that those most at risk were those who drove or travelled in a van, those who drove through industrial areas, and those who spent a lot of time in the car or who often had the car window open.
Continue reading the main story

In all they found that the biggest risk was associated with not adding screenwash to windscreen wiper water, the European Journal of Epidemiology reports.

In a pilot study carried out by the HPA, traces of Legionella were found in one in five cars that did not have screenwash, but in no cars that did.

Dr Isabel Oliver, regional director of the HPA South West, said more research was needed but people may want to check they have screenwash in their cars as they usually contain agents which would stop the growth of bacteria.

"It does not spread from person to person but is present in water environments and is breathed in when it gets into the air in fine particles or mist."

Professor Hugh Pennington, an expert in bacteriology, said the advice to add screenwash was very sound - especially as it would also lead to a cleaner windscreen.

"This is a bug which lives in the environment and will take advantage of warm water systems that are not cleaned out.

"Legionnaires' is rare but it kills people and it's an extremely unpleasant disease.

"If you can prevent it with something this simple then it's a no brainer really."


http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/15/report-water-as-windshield-wiper-fluid-causes-20-of-legionnair/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10293519.stm
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  • Knucklehead
    Knucklehead Posts: 3,602
    edited June 2010
    John, thats got to be the strangest (but interesting) thing Ive read in a while. :D
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  • nadams
    nadams Posts: 5,877
    edited June 2010
    So they're just putting straight water in their washer bottles? Can't do that around here. In the winter, it'd freeze right up, and in the summer, it'd never get the bug guts off.

    I run ice melt in the winter and bug wash in the summer... both of which have some sort of alcohol in them, so I would assume I'm safe from Legionnaires.
    Ludicrous gibs!
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,808
    edited June 2010
    The stuff meant for bugs doesn't have alcohol in it, it has ammonia. Alcohol doesn't dissolve bug carcasses. Ammonia does. That's also why it stinks and on hot days you can watch it evaporate.
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  • nadams
    nadams Posts: 5,877
    edited June 2010
    Well, still.... I'd have to guess that bacteria don't particularly care for ammonia. Which is why Windex is good to use for EVERYTHING!
    Ludicrous gibs!
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  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 10,999
    edited June 2010
    Who the heck puts water in there? :confused:
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  • nadams
    nadams Posts: 5,877
    edited June 2010
    Willow wrote: »
    Who the heck puts water in there? :confused:

    My sister put car wash soap in hers once. She looked at the bottle, saw it had a smiling car on it, and figured the car was smiling because its windshield was clean (her reasoning...).

    Her washer nozzles foamed for a month after that.
    Ludicrous gibs!
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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited June 2010
    nadams wrote: »
    My sister put car wash soap in hers once. She looked at the bottle, saw it had a smiling car on it, and figured the car was smiling because its windshield was clean (her reasoning...).

    Her washer nozzles foamed for a month after that.

    Greatest practical joke ever!!!! Thanks! :D
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    edited June 2010
    My old roommate put regular dish soap in the dishwasher. It flooded are kitchen with suds.
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,808
    edited June 2010
    Willow wrote: »
    Who the heck puts water in there? :confused:

    Lotsa people do. If you live in a dry climate that doesn't drop below freezing, water will work fine on your windshield. It won't get bug guts orr of road tar and other sticky debris but dust and dirt comes off easy.

    Also, years ago, when you bought a gallon of washer fluid, it was diluted. It was the straight product with surfactants and all but no water. So the instructions were to dilute the product with a 50/50 mix of water (preferably distilled) and solvent. Even prior to that, the washer fluid had no surfactants and came in metal cans because the solvents would melt the plastic containers. You most absolutely had to dilute it then or it'd rot the entire washer system.

    Just because you don't do it doesn't mean others don't or that there isn't a valid reasoning behind it.
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  • ViperZ
    ViperZ Posts: 2,046
    edited June 2010
    Jstas wrote: »
    Just because you don't do it doesn't mean others don't or that there isn't a valid reasoning behind it.

    Jstas, sarcasm sometimes does not jump out at you... Check his location.
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,808
    edited June 2010
    ViperZ wrote: »
    Jstas, sarcasm sometimes does not jump out at you... Check his location.

    I know where he lives, thanks.
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited June 2010
    Willow wrote: »
    Who the heck puts water in there? :confused:

    Not I.;)
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,953
    edited June 2010
    Willow wrote: »
    Who the heck puts water in there? :confused:

    Have to agree with ya. If you live in the north,colder climates,your putting in something to keep it from freezing. If your in the south, your also putting in some sort of additive to keep the bugs off. Just water ?? You have to be cheap or lazy,or maybe both.
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  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 10,999
    edited June 2010
    tonyb wrote: »
    Have to agree with ya. If you live in the north,colder climates,your putting in something to keep it from freezing. If your in the south, your also putting in some sort of additive to keep the bugs off. Just water ?? You have to be cheap or lazy,or maybe both.


    That's what I was thinking, show me a place on earth that does not have bugs or tar or even bird crap...
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  • Norm Apter
    Norm Apter Posts: 1,036
    edited June 2010
    Don't laugh at this question, but would straight Windex work in SoCal's dry/warm climate? (never gets colder than 40 degrees or so in L.A.) I ask because we bought one of those large industrial size bottles of Windex from Costco a year ago and have barely made a dent in it for normal window/mirror washing use.

    Just wondering...
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  • bigaudiofanatic
    bigaudiofanatic Posts: 4,415
    edited June 2010
    nadams wrote: »
    Well, still.... I'd have to guess that bacteria don't particularly care for ammonia. Which is why Invisible Glass is good to use for EVERYTHING!

    Fixed for ya:p

    In the summer to keep bugs down I wax my windows and it helps water beed nicely as well.
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