Will we have to give up splashing plastic ducks in the tub? The Swiss Federal Council has in fact relay a study on bacterial growth in bath toys and the result is enough to scare more than one mom. Because inside the cute little plastic ducks bathing in soapy water, researchers have discovered large mats of bacteria and fungi.
80% of bath toys carry bacteria
Scientists from Zurich and the University of Illinois (USA) collected used bath toys and analyzed what was deposited on their inner surface. At the same time they carried out tests with new bath ducks which they placed for 11 weeks either in clean drinking water or in used bath water containing soap scraps, dirt and sweat as well as bacteria accompanying the human body.
These ducks were then analyzed and the result is not very inviting: fungi were detected on 60% of the ducks actually used and on all of those exposed to dirty bath water.
“The researchers also observed potentially pathogenic germs in 80% of the ducks studied, in particular legionella and very resistant bacteria of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, known to cause numerous nosocomial diseases” underlines the Swiss Federal Council.
Professor Frederik Hammes, who supervises this study, believes that this can strengthen children’s immune defenses. “But it can also cause eye and ear irritation or more problematic gastrointestinal infections.” For the researcher, the solution would be to tighten the regulations on polymers used in the manufacture of bath ducks as is already done for plastic drinking water pipes.
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