Recent research, reported in the European Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that as many as one in five cases of legionnaires’ disease may be caused by the use of plain water in windscreen washer systems.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a bug that is found in warm, stagnant, water and transmitted when droplets of such water are inhaled. Badly maintained air conditioning systems in large buildings (such as hospitals) are usually the first thought when new cases of the disease occur, but statistics show that professional drivers are five times more likely to be infected with the bug. It is believed this is because of exposure to infected water droplets created when windscreen washers filled with plain water are used. The use of a proprietary screen-wash stops the water stagnating and thus prevents it becoming infected.
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