Water On Most U.S. Airlines Ruled Unsafe And Contaminated—Health Experts Advise Against Drinking Water, Coffee, Tea & Washing Hands While On Flights

Chile, what’s next? #Roommates before you board your next flight be sure you’re fully hydrated because according to a new health study, drinking water while flying on most U.S. airlines is a definite health risk.

As reported by @Yahoo, a new study discovered that most of the popular airlines in the U.S. do not provide safe drinking water—and it may actually be making passengers sick at increasing rates. The 2019 Airline Water Study and the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center investigated 11 major U.S. airlines and 12 regional airlines, scoring them from 0 to 5 (with 5 being the best) on the quality of water they provide on flights. Scores of 3 or higher indicate that the water is safe enough to drink, shockingly only three of the 11 major U.S. airlines received this score, while only one of the 12 regional airlines scored received the same.

In effort to protect yourself from potential contaminants, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center advises against drinking water served on a plane unless it is bottled and sealed, this also includes any coffee or tea that’s served on board. Additionally, they also suggest not washing your hands in the airplane bathroom and use your own hand sanitizer instead. What’s even more disturbing is that the study also warns that all airlines receiving poor scores may have E. coli present in their water, meaning that there is potential for disease-causing bacteria to be ingested by both passengers and staff. They suggest this may be due to the varying sources from which planes get their water.

The study explains why this may occur:

“An aircraft flies to numerous destinations and may pump drinking water into its tanks from various sources at domestic and international locations. The water quality onboard also depends on the safety of the equipment used to transfer the water, such as water cabinets, trucks, carts and hoses.”

Scores were based on 10 criteria, including airline fleet size, the presence of coliform bacteria or E. coli in the water and the amount of times they’ve been in violation of the violated the federal government’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule, implemented in 2011, and requires all airlines to provide safe drinking water for passengers and staff.

Alaska Airlines and Allegiant were both number one with the safest water thanks to a 3.3 rating, while Hawaiian Airlines came in at number two with a 3.1. Spirit and JetBlue tied for the lowest score of the major airlines, each receiving a 1 out of 5.

Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?