Want to order coffee or tea on a plane? Think again
Sometimes, a warm cup of tea or coffee can wake us up and give us a boost during those overnight and early morning flights. However, you may want to think twice before ordering your favourite warm beverages.
As it turns out, 1 in every 8 planes fails the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for water safety.
EPA data from 2012 showed that 12% of commercial airplanes – which is almost one in every 10 airplanes – in the US had at least one positive test for coliform (an indicator that potentially harmful bacteria may be found in the water). While coliform itself is unlikely to get a person sick, it is a warning sign that bacteria like E. coli are in the water.
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Most airlines serve bottled water, but they still make tea and coffee with water that comes from an on-board tank. The tank is refilled at airports in different cities and the tanks used to fill the tanks can be filthy at times. That is when the bacteria is delivered – during this transfer, according to a 2015 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
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