Caution: Windshield Washer Fluid Can Harbor Legionnaires Bacteria

[KeepingItReal]

Just a caution:

Windshield Washer Fluid Linked To Legionnaires' Disease

A new study says window washer fluid might contain the bacteria that causes a severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires.
The study is the first to find the bacteria Legionella in an automobile’s washer fluid and aerosolized in the spray.

Windshield Washer Fluid Linked To Legionnaires' Disease (VIDEO) (http://www.newsy.com/videos/windshield-washer-fluid-linked-to-legionnaires-disease/)

Windshield Wash Breeds Germs Causing Deadly Legionnaires - Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-18/windshield-wash-breeds-germs-causing-deadly-legionnaires.html)

[Indydealmaker]

Just a caution:

Windshield Washer Fluid Linked To Legionnaires' Disease

A new study says window washer fluid might contain the bacteria that causes a severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires.
The study is the first to find the bacteria Legionella in an automobile’s washer fluid and aerosolized in the spray.

Windshield Washer Fluid Linked To Legionnaires' Disease (VIDEO) (http://www.newsy.com/videos/windshield-washer-fluid-linked-to-legionnaires-disease/)

Windshield Wash Breeds Germs Causing Deadly Legionnaires - Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-18/windshield-wash-breeds-germs-causing-deadly-legionnaires.html)

Thanks for the post. It would have been nice if the authors of those reports had identified additives that would inhibit the bacteria.

[Indydealmaker]

Using Water Instead of Wiper Fluid Could Lead to Legionnaires' Disease - KickingTires (http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2010/06/using-water-instead-of-wiper-fluid-could-lead-to-legionnaires-disease.html)

[KeepingItReal]

Using Water Instead of Wiper Fluid Could Lead to Legionnaires' Disease - KickingTires (http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2010/06/using-water-instead-of-wiper-fluid-could-lead-to-legionnaires-disease.html)

The 2010 study was on water, the 2014 study says washer fluid and specifically the school buses they checked which had washer fluid, likely the premixed ready to use type.

Likely a washer fluid additive or a formula change will be forthcoming to remedy the problem in the future but until then........

Using washer fluid instead of water will not eliminate the possibility of the bacteria being in the fluid as is noted in this Live Science Report. The study was presented May 18 at the 2014 general meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

Pneumonia Bacteria May Lurk in Windshield Washer Fluid | LiveScience (http://www.livescience.com/45699-legionnaires-disease-windshield-washer-fluid.html)

In the study, researchers found that the bacterium Legionella, normally found in freshwater, can survive in car windshield washer fluids and grow in washer-fluid reservoirs. People could become infected with the bacteria when they come in contact with the fluid, the researchers said.

In fact, the bacteria can survive in windshield-washer fluid for anywhere between a few days and several months, depending on the kind of fluid, the researchers said. And, in one particular type of fluid, the bacteria survived longer than they did in sterile water.

"Washer-fluid spray can release potentially dangerous numbers of these bacteria into the air," study author Otto Schwake, a doctoral student at Arizona State University, said in a statement.

The high levels of the bacteria that the researchers found in windshield washer liquid may be attributed, in part, to Arizona's warm climate, which provides a good environment for these bacteria to survive, as they thrive in heat.

[Indydealmaker]

The 2010 study was on water, the 2014 study says washer fluid and specifically the school buses they checked which had washer fluid, likely the premixed ready to use type.

Likely a washer fluid additive or a formula change will be forthcoming to remedy the problem in the future but until then........

Using washer fluid instead of water will not eliminate the possibility of the bacteria being in the fluid as is noted in this Live Science Report. The study was presented May 18 at the 2014 general meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

Pneumonia Bacteria May Lurk in Windshield Washer Fluid | LiveScience (http://www.livescience.com/45699-legionnaires-disease-windshield-washer-fluid.html)

In the study, researchers found that the bacterium Legionella, normally found in freshwater, can survive in car windshield washer fluids and grow in washer-fluid reservoirs. People could become infected with the bacteria when they come in contact with the fluid, the researchers said.

In fact, the bacteria can survive in windshield-washer fluid for anywhere between a few days and several months, depending on the kind of fluid, the researchers said. And, in one particular type of fluid, the bacteria survived longer than they did in sterile water.

"Washer-fluid spray can release potentially dangerous numbers of these bacteria into the air," study author Otto Schwake, a doctoral student at Arizona State University, said in a statement.

The high levels of the bacteria that the researchers found in windshield washer liquid may be attributed, in part, to Arizona's warm climate, which provides a good environment for these bacteria to survive, as they thrive in heat.

Thanks for updating that info. It may not be as simple to prevent the bacteria AND not interfere with clean, film-free windows.