Study Uncovers the Germiest Public Drinking Fountains

A recent study by water quality review website WaterFilterGuru.com has revealed where the germiest public drinking fountains reside, along with the types of unseen microbes they harbor.

Researchers swabbed a variety of public drinking fountains to learn which bacteria and how much exists on their surfaces. According to the report, airport drinking fountains were found to have more than 50,000 times the bacteria of a toilet seat, manifesting as 30 million colony-forming units (CFUs) of gram-negative rod bacteria, which are commonly associated with healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs).

Mall drinking fountains, however, were the worst of those tested, harboring both gram-negative rods and gram-negative rods, type II, which, according to the report, include bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others. The mall fountains were found to have 30 million CFUs of gram-negative rods, as well as 300,000 CFUs of the type II rods.

Click here view the complete study.