Should we change our shower heads?

Lead researcher Professor Norman Pace, said: "If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy."

While it is rarely a problem for most healthy people, those with weakened immune systems, like the elderly, pregnant women or those who are fighting off other diseases, can be susceptible to infection.

They may develop lung infection with M. avium and experience symptoms including tiredness, a persistent, dry cough, shortness of breath and weakness, and generally feel unwell.

When the researchers swabbed and tested 50 shower heads from nine cities in seven different states in the US, including New York City and Denver, they found 30% of the devices posed a potential risk.

Since plastic shower heads appear to "load up" with more bacteria-rich biofilms, metal shower heads may be a good alternative, said Professor Pace.

Showers have also been identified as a route for spreading other infectious diseases, including a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires' disease and chest infections with a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

question is, can I ask my landlord to reimburse me for the new showerhead I just bought?

So people can have a new excuse for their diseases, I got it from the showerhead.

Sure, some disgustingly dirty/old showerheads should be changed--for the cosmetic reasons. And, sure, if you have immune disorders, these things MIGHT affect you adversely.

What one should remember from "Bio 101," though, is that for everyone else (i.e., those with normal to strong immune systems), exposure to these mundane "germs" only serve to BOOST, not compromise, their health. It may be counterintuitive, but living in germ-free environments would actually make you MORE susceptible to catching infectious diseases in a long run because you are not "training" your body to function healthily in the real world.

oh my lord. yet another way in which we are killing ourselves with technology. the "real world" is a scary place. i want to go back to the forest!

I filter 100% of the cold water in my entire apartment (I guess I should get a dog) and change shower heads about every 2 years.

nyc212, bless you. yes, we need exposure. kids need dirt. people NEED germs. it's like getting rid of parasitic creatures and finding out that half your species needed them to survive.

glamma, be healthy, be sane, and realize that life expectancies for those who have access to decent health care are very high. i don't know if i'd like to live past 90, at least in this current paradigm.

AR, my beloved little nonagenarian aunt always said, "Age is just a number, dear, if you have your health", & it's true; age is not the enemy, infirmity is.

drdrd, i totally agree. and we should definitely take a 10 mile walk together one day. tonight my daughter and i walked from 23rd and A/B to 16th and 8th for dinner. she hasn't been feeling well so i said that was a good walk. she replied, mom, that really wasn't anything, was it? this is a family that walks. we have a joke for it. the death march. it usually occurs on sunday when mom is determined to have a family walk for an hour or so but doesn't really like brunch food so as we move along we have fewer options because places are filling up and mom is becoming a raging irrational bitch because she is hungry and still insisting on something other than eggs and pancakes.

Wow, sign me up for that Sunday walk. Only thing missing is doggie (w67thstreet) to keep pooping on the sidewalk.

coming from people who dont brush there teeth or cut there foreskin i would pay no attention