About Health - What You Should Know!

Legionella

Legionella is the aquatic bacterium that causes Legionnaires' disease in human beings - named after a major disease outbreak during a meeting in 1976 of American Legion in Philadelphia.

Legionella is a severe form of pneumonia, being fatal in 5-30% of the cases. Each year, there are between 8,000 and 18,000 people hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease in the U.S. These are only the reported cases. (Source: Center for Disease Control). Thus, each year several thousand casualties are recorded in the U.S. alone.

 

Risk to the Lungs

The Legionella bacteria, traceable in almost any drinking water pipe, can become dangerous for people only if they find their way into the lungs. This occurs primarily in the shower. When showering, fine water droplets called aerosols, are generated - these aerosols  enter the lungs and expand into the alveoli (respirable aerosols). Bacteria are transported to the lungs by those aerosols. Not only are Legionella a threatening cause of serious pneumonia while taking a shower, but pseudomonas too - ubiquitous aerobic bacteria also found in shower heads, are potentially harmful. Bacteria find ideal conditions in plastic shower heads and shower hoses, for propagating. These are breeding grounds for  biofilm. Biofilm is a slimy mass of micro-organisms which thrive in plastics.
 

The Risk Can be Reduced

Shower aerosols are formed when a strong shower spray hits the body, the walls of the shower or the tub, and burst. The more powerful the shower jet, the more aerosols that are created. As BUBBLE-RAIN shower heads create a stream of soft, so to speak, "air-suspended" water bubbles, far less aerosols are formed here. In fact, the findings of Fraunhofer Intitute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine in Germany, demonstrated that the BUBBLE-RAIN shower heads produce 80% less aerosols than normal shower heads.

Report of the Fraunhofer-Institute as PDF

 

Why is the BUBBLE-RAIN Showerhead Made of Copper?

"Plastic Shower Heads are Breeding Grounds for Bacteria”, was the topic of a study presented by scientists at the University Colorado in early 2010. The research team, led by Norman Pace, examined 45 shower heads collected from public buildings in various U.S. cities. Thirty percent (30%) of shower heads tested contained significant quantities of the pathogen Mycobacterium avium, which can lead to lung diseases. Since the plastic shower heads were obviously more populated with bacteria, Pace favors metal shower heads as good alternatives. We even go one step further and produce the BUBBLE-RAIN shower heads from copper. Copper is recognized and approved as an antibacterial material.

 

And the Shower Hose?

Shower hoses offer especially ideal habitats for biofilm such as legionella and other bacteria to multiply. The large internal diameters of the plastic or rubber hoses offer generous breeding space. Additionally, the temperature is ideal for the maturation of germs and bacteria: either the bacteria are warmed as water flows through or they "mature" at room temperature. You can easily perform the "biofilm test" yourself by unscrewing the hose from the shower and scraping the inner wall of the shower hose with a knitting needle or similar device. You will be amazed by your "abundant harvest".

 

Hygiene Built Into the Shower Hose

Our patented FlexClean® hygiene System, tested by the renowned Institute of Hygiene at the University of Bonn, Germany, demonstrated a 90% reduction in the formation of biofilm!  

Learn more about the FlexClean system and our hygiene shower hose