U.S.: They warn about the dangers of showering every day

In what may be the scariest shower news since Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” a study says showerheads can harbor tiny bacteria that come spraying into your face when you wash. People with normal immune systems have little to fear, but these microbes could be a concern for folks with cystic fibrosis or AIDS, people who are undergoing cancer treatment or those who have had a recent organ transplant.

Researchers at the University of Colorado tested 45 showers in five states as part of a larger study of the microbiology of air and water in homes, schools and public buildings. They report their shower findings in Tuesday’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In general, is it dangerous to take showers? “Probably not, if your immune system is not compromised in some way,” lead author Norman R. Pace says. “But it’s like anything else — there is a risk associated with it.”

The researchers offer suggestions for the wary, such as getting all-metal showerheads, which microbes have a harder time clinging to.

Still, showerheads are full of nooks and crannies, making them hard to clean, the researchers note, and the microbes come back even after treatment with bleach.

Source: AP