EPA: Some airline water has bacteria

WASHINGTON – Nearly one of every eight passenger airliners tested by the Environmental Protection Agency carried drinking water that fails agency standards because it contains coliform bacteria, the agency said Monday.

EPA enforcement chief Tom Skinner said passengers whose immune systems are compromised may want to avoid drinking water from airplane galleys or lavatories, although he noted that test results were preliminary.

Of the planes checked, 20 tested positive for total coliform bacteria, which could signal the presence of other harmful bacteria. Two planes tested positive for E. coli bacteria, which in a severe form can cause gastrointestinal illness.

Air Transport Association spokesman Doug Wills said the airlines are confident their drinking water is safe, saying, “No one has gotten sick from airline drinking water.”

Wills’ group represents major airlines.