Scientific curiosity knows no bounds: A group of Swiss and US researchers have delved into “the dark side” of inviting rubber ducks and other flexible plastic toys into our tubs.
Any plastic materials dunked in bathwater provide ideal conditions for bacterial and fungal growth, according to the conclusions of the joint study, published on Tuesday by the Swiss government.
“Dense growths of bacteria and fungi are found on the inner surface of these flexible toys and a murky liquid will often be released when they are squeezed by a child,” the government statement said.
UNAPPETIZING
The researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School and the University of Illinois found that “diverse microbial growth is promoted not only by the plastic materials, but by bath users themselves.”
For their study, they carried out experiments with real bath toys and controls using new bath toys under conditions simulating household use.
Over a period of 11 weeks, they exposed some of the toys to clean and others to dirty bath water, containing things like soap and body fluids.
INSPECTION
When they cut open the toys, “the findings sound unappetizing: Between 5 million and 75 million cells per square centimeter were observed on the inner surfaces,” the summary of the report said.
The researchers said that there was a big difference between the plastic toys exposed to different types of water.
“Fungal species were detected in almost 60 percent of the real bath toys and in all the dirty-water control toys,” the statement said.
“Potentially pathogenic bacteria were identified in 80 percent of all the toys studied, including Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” which is often the culprit in hospital-acquired infections, it added.
TOSS
The main problem is that warm water gathers inside the toy, often made of low-quality polymers, which release organic carbon compounds that serve as nutrients to growing bacteria colonies.
“During bathing, other key nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as additional bacteria, are contributed by the human body [body fluids such as urine and sweat], external contaminants and personal care products,” the study said.
This allows bacteria and fungi to multiply inside of a toy children often enjoy using to squirt water into their faces.
“This could strengthen the immune system, which would be positive, but it can also result in eye, ear, or even gastrointestinal infections,” microbiologist Frederik Hammes said in Tuesday’s statement.
So should we toss the ducks out with the bathwater?
Or as some suggest on Internet comment forums, simply plug their holes to avoid the accumulation in their cavity?
Hammes suggested a more scientific approach: Tighter regulations on the polymeric materials used to produce bath toys.
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
RSS