Results of survey prompt calls for better hygiene and review of legislationBy Rob Edwards, Environment Editor
Ministers are being urged to tighten up safety rules for office water coolers after a survey revealed that as many as one in four were contaminated.
Tests for watchdog organisation, Consumer Focus Scotland found potentially dangerous bacteria in drinking water dispensers in workplaces, schools and care homes. The group says the dispensers need to be better cleaned and maintained, and that the Scottish government, along with the Food Standards Agency, should review existing legislation because it is difficult to enforce.
Environmental health officers found bacterial contamination in 23 out of 87 water dispensers sampled in Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders. They tested for five types of bacteria known to cause illness, particularly in people who are vulnerable due to frailty or ill-health.
Water from bottle-supplied coolers was the most contaminated, with 14 out of 35 samples containing bacteria. Eight samples showed the presence of coliform bacteria, usually associated with faeces, and three contained staphylococcus aureus, which can cause serious illnesses.
Nine of the 52 samples from plumbed-in coolers taking water from the mains were also found to be contaminated, sometimes by more than one type of bacteria.
The contamination is thought to be due to the poor hygiene habits of some drinkers. Unwashed hands, putting mouths to taps and refilling dirty bottles could all be to blame.
For Mary Lawton, a food policy specialist at Consumer Focus Scotland, the survey's findings are worrying. "The types of bacteria found have the potential to lead to illness, particularly for vulnerable groups," she said.
"We don't want people to stop drinking water and we don't want organisations to remove water dispensers as they provide a valuable service. But, as the failures included a small proportion from water coolers in schools and care homes, there is cause for concern."
Lawton called for a public awareness campaign to encourage organisations to keep their water coolers clean and get people to use them more hygienically.
"Ultimately these findings suggest that the cleanliness of water coolers has become a low priority for some organisations who have installed them," she said. "We feel the legislation governing the quality of water from coolers should be reviewed. While there are regulations for bottled water, these are applicable at time of bottling and there is no legislation specifically for plumbed-in water coolers."
Consumer Focus Scotland is recommending that the exterior of coolers and taps should be cleaned at least once a week. Bottled water coolers should be cleaned internally every three months.
People who drink from coolers should be advised not to put their hands or mouth on the taps, the watchdog says. Pictures could be placed next to coolers to make this clear. Plumbed-in coolers should have their filters changed every six months, it urges. They should also be attached to a mains water supply rather than be supplied from a tank.
Consumer Focus Scotland was formed from the merger of three organisations - the Scottish Consumer Council, energywatch Scotland and Postwatch Scotland - and started work on October 1 last year. Its report on water coolers, published today, has been welcomed by the Scottish government and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Scotland.
"We will be looking closely at all the data from the survey and the report's recommendations, including the need to review the existing legislation," said an FSA spokeswoman.
A subcommittee of the government's Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee began a Scotland-wide survey of the microbiological quality of water from coolers in November. It is due to be completed at the end of this month, and published "in due course".
