Ducks and bath toys can become a receptacle for fungi and bacteria. The alarm in a study 

    Inside the rubber toys for the bath, germs and bacteria lurk that proliferate thanks to the hot-humid and plastic materials

    Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

    Ducks and other rubber toys accompany and make our children's bath time more pleasant, but are they really safe? A study reveals how these objects can easily become receptacles for germs and bacteria.





    A study by Eawag (Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), ETH Zurich and the University of Illinois revealed the "dark side" of flexible plastic bath toys. The problem is not so much, or only, of the objects themselves as of the conditions of heat and humidity characteristic of the bathroom.

    Here, in fact, at the moment of the bath, the ideal conditions are created for a diversified microbial growth, promoted not only by the climate and by the plastic materials but also by other objects present and by the children themselves who put their fingers in their mouth, nose, etc. .

    On the ducks and other soft rubber objects, or rather on their internal surface, colonies of bacteria and fungi could proliferate and, by squeezing the toys, a turbid liquid could escape which testifies to the presence of microorganisms mixed with the water left inside. .

    In the study, the experts looked at the communities of bacteria and germs found in used bathroom toys and also conducted controlled experiments using new toys, under conditions that simulated home use: for 11 weeks some toys were exposed to clean water while others with dirty water.

    Opening the games it was found that on the internal surfaces there were between 5 and 75 million cells per square centimeter. The composition of bacterial biofilm communities varied widely and fungal species were detected in nearly 60% of real bath toys and in all toys placed in dirty water.

    Ducks and bath toys can become a receptacle for fungi and bacteria. The alarm in a study 

    @nature

    Potentially pathogenic bacteria were identified in 80% of all toys studied, among these there were also Legionella e Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    "This could strengthen the immune system, which would be good, but it can also cause eye, ear or even gastrointestinal infections," said Frederik Hammes, author of the study.



    It is the toys themselves that provide the ideal environment for these microorganisms to proliferate: the plastics they are made of, often low-quality polymers, which release substantial amounts of organic carbon compounds. While bathing, other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as additional bacteria, are supplied by the human body (think body fluids like urine and sweat), external contaminants, and personal care products.

    In practice, dangerous pitfalls can be hidden inside the ducks, it is better to buy them of excellent quality, wash and sanitize them often and, if possible, plug the small hole with which you spray the water.

    Font: Eewag / The Guardian


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