OK, this is gross.
Asking for bottled water or a canned drink aboard an airliner might be the safest way to fly. Coliform bacteria are showing up in more airliners than last summer when the government first took steps toward requiring sanitation improvements.
Coliform bacteria, usually harmless, indicate that harmful organisms could be present. EPA said Wednesday it found coliform bacteria in 17 percent of the airliners it randomly tested in November and December, an increase from the 13 percent reported in the first round of tests in August and September.
Among 169 randomly tested airliners, most of the 29 that tested positive for coliform bacteria had them in lavatory faucets, but some also had them in galley water taps.
While most people I travel with skip the airplane water, how many of us pass on the ice? Guess where that’s coming from? Uh huh…