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UNITED STATES, October 17, 2004: (HPI note: We include this item for the frequent travelers among our readers.) In August and September, the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) tested the water on 158 domestic and international aircraft at United States airports, finding that 87 percent met the agency’s standards for the quality of drinking water. A surprising 13 percent did not. The Air Transport Association, a trade group representing the major United States airlines, immediately challenged the findings, criticizing the size of the sample and how the tests were conducted. Even the E.P.A. acknowledged that more tests are needed to assess whether there is a wide problem, and stopped short of advising all passengers not to drink the water, reports this article. “Passengers with compromised immune systems or others concerned may want to request canned or bottled beverages,” the agency suggested in an announcement on September 20.



What the E.P.A. found in the water that did not meet standards is total coliform bacteria, which isn’t necessarily harmful (it’s common in soil, lakes, humans and animals), but its presence in drinking water indicates that other disease-causing organisms may be lurking. On two aircraft, the E.P.A. also found E. coli, which may indicate fecal contamination and can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or other illnesses. Addressing the issue is complicated by a regulatory tangle. The E.P.A. regulates the systems that supply water to aircraft and the drinking water on board. The Food and Drug Administration has authority over the ice on aircraft and the points where aircraft obtain water, like tankers. And the Federal Aviation Administration has authority over aircraft operation and maintenance plans, including water storage tanks. The Air Transport Association said that its own tests of water samples on 265 aircraft last year found quite different results: only 3 percent of the tests found total coliform bacteria, and none found E. coli. Despite the disagreements, Nancy Young, the association’s managing director for environmental programs, said the airlines are working with the E.P.A. to come up with a plan for further sampling and to answer questions raised by the agency’s test results.

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