The researchers warn not to drink from a water fountain. They mentioned that this drinking habit can spread infection rapidly and yield a serious health and hygiene hazard.
Common practice
For many of us, water fountains are great alternatives to a bottle of water. Especially environmentalist people who are trying awareness against single-use plastics are promoting water fountains to drink water. But a new study found that these water fountains can do more harm than good.
Is a water fountain in a gym dangerous?
However, the level of harm depends on the practice of hygiene maintenance. Not all water fountains are harmful in the same way. Rather some particular water fountains tend to be teeming with bacteria. Sometimes these fountains are a significant cause of the skin-infection like MRSA. The water fountains of a gym are more prone to serious contamination.
Study findings
A study report published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases confirms that the drinking water source of the athletic facilities are vectors for the spread of germs. The study analyzed 288 surface samples from 16 gyms. This research revealed alarming findings. Researchers showed that 50 percent of drinking sources samples revealed the presence of S. aureus or MRSA.
Researchers said, “There are many damaging pathogens that live in water fountains, which cause people to get sick. E-coli, legionella, and coliform are three types of bacteria found in water fountains.” Furthermore, other gym items lie treadmill handles, weight balls, and curl bars are also a major source of bacteria. Water sources close to treadmill handles are the fourth-most germ-infested item in the gym. The fountain fixtures are playing the main role to turn this item into meticulous contaminants.
What do other sources say about this?
According to the CDC, only good hygiene habits at the gym could protect against the rapid spread of drug-resistant bacteria. Like MRSA. It stated, “risk increases with activities or places that involve crowding, skin-to-skin contact, and shared equipment or supplies.” So, to ensure a germ-free gym, you have to sanitize any surfaces you touch and wash your hands often. Try to bring your clean towels, and avoid touch contact with others. Never forget to include the non-equipment items. If you have to use the water source of your gym, make sure that the handle of the mountain is clean and sanitized perfectly.