Government health experts have revealed this week that motorists risk catching legionnaires disease from stagnant water in their windscreen washer bottles. As many as twenty percent of cases of the disease in the UK have been linked to the water that drivers use to clean their car windows, and professional drivers are more at risk, being five times more likely to become infected with the bug. The bacteria thrive in warm, stagnant water and can cause a potentially fatal lung infection, in worst cases. All drivers are now being urged to add screen wash to the water stored in their vehicles, as this has an antibacterial property and will prevent the possible build up of the bug.
Traces of the legionella bacteria, which can cause legionnaires disease, were found on one in five cars that did not have screen wash. In vehicles of rivers who used screen wash, there were no traces of the bug found to be present. People most at risk are those driving vans, those who work in industrial areas or people who often drive with their car window down. Read more >>
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