If the ick factor alone does n’t motivate you to clean house your shower regularly , the results of new research publish in the journalmBiomay exchange your mind . AsIFL Sciencereports , your showerhead is a hotbed of microorganisms , some of which could pose a threat to your health .
For the study , citizen scientists from Europe and the U.S. swabbed their showerhead and subject the sample to investigator . After sequencing the DNA of the more than 650 samples , theShowerhead Microbiome Projectteam found worlds of microbes thriving on the very thing we habituate to bath ourselves with each daytime .
While most of these organisms are n’t harmful , the researchers did discover some types of nontuberculous mycobacteria ( NTM ) , which can stimulate lung infections . When water vapor fill your shower , mycobacteria become aerosolised and therefore easy to breathe . While NTM does n’t lead to illness when inhaled in most case , infection can wreak about shortness of breath , fatigue , and weight release , especially in the great unwashed with weak resistant organization . Researchers encounter that areas with the highest concentrations of showerhead mycobacterium — Florida , New York , and Southern California — are also " hot spots " of NTM lung disease .
mycobacterium live in biofilm , a.k.a . the trash that coats the front of your showerhead . The bailiwick found that the microbes are more probable to grow on metal showerhead than shaping ones — likely because the chemical in credit card support more diverse microbic communities that block off any one bacteria from taking over . The mycobacteria were also most mutual in U.S. households that practice municipal piddle supplies . The water in these showers is usually chlorinated , and because mycobacterium aresomewhat resistantto the disinfectant , those microbes tend to overspread in stead of the bacteria that are vote down off .
The study ’s data could be used by doctors and public wellness officials to better understand the causes of NTM . In the meantime , set aside a few minutes to wipe the slime off your showerhead .
[ h / tIFL Science ]
