Is your health in hot water?
Have you ever done one of those Internet searches that ends up leading you on a whole different trail? That was me the other day. But, my wandering trail led to some good information to protect your health easily.
I started with trying to figure out how to turn down the temp on my water heater. The water in my new/old house (I call it that because it’s new to me but around 100 years old.) is really hot. Painfully hot. Lots of — Ow, damn! — hot! But I don’t like fiddling with contraptions connected to anything that shocks or blows up or burns or otherwise may intend me harm. I want lots of info on what I’m doing before I attempt it … and then I still take out extra life insurance and put on a haz-mat suit!
So, in looking for this, I came across a very good reason to not turn down the temp below 140 degrees F. (And I began following that bright, shiny object and forgot all about bothering to even check the temperature of my hot water heater!)
The reason? A too low temp may cause bacteria to breed. All those microscopic little guys sneak out while you’re taking a nice, warm shower … and breathing them in from the steam. Right into your lungs, where they can cause pneumonia.
The biggest risk is from Legionella pneumophila, a bacteria that thrives in warm environments. It was first identified in 1976 when more than 200 people were treated and 34 veterans died after attending a convention at a hotel in Philadelphia.
The ideal growth range for Legionella is at a temperature of 95-115°F(35-46°C). Above 122°F (50°C), they can survive, but they don’t multiply. At 131°F (55°C), they die within 5-6 hours. At 140°F (60°C), they die within 32 minutes. At 151°F (66°C), they die within two minutes. The actual disinfection range is 158-176°F (70-80°C).
I know none of us needs to set our water heaters at the high end of the above. That truly would be dangerous. But around 140°F seems like a smart move. It is hot, but typical adults can realize that and adjust. If you have young children or elderly adults in your home, then extra caution in what they do is called for. In addition, there are other safeguards you can add that protect you and others from scalds without risking bacteria breeding in your hot water tank.
What I found also interesting in my search was that this information is more prevalent in Canada vs. the U.S. The Canada Safety Council says that water must be stored at a high temperature to prevent bacterial growth. Their experts rejected a move to call for lower water temperatures in building codes. Safe Kids Canada recommends not lowering the water heater temperature below 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) if someone with a serious or long-term illness resides in your home.
Have we been steered wrong in a country in which disease equals profit? Are we being urged to be environmentally correct by lowering the temperature and save a bit on our electric or gas bills at risk of our health? To be fair, I did find OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration in the U.S.) stating that Legionnaires’ disease can be prevented by maintaining water heaters at 140 degrees F. But that was it; there is far more information in the U.S. about being green and saving money vs. protecting your health.
Anyone can be afflicted with Legionnaires’ disease although it is more dangerous, like anything of that nature, in someone whose health already is challenged. Each year, between 8,000 and 18,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease; it can cause death in 5-30 percent of these cases.
The above doesn’t equal a huge percentage of the U.S. population, but, when you can do something proactive and easy to safely ensure your health, I’m all for that.
For me, hot water now seems like a far wiser choice. Instead of lowering the water heater temp, I will simply be more careful about turning on the cold water to mix. Not only will that ensure bacteria aren’t growing in my water, it’ll save me all that time finding a haz-mat suit!
Hope leads
“Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”
~ Martin Luther
