Yesterday's USA Today brought the not-so-cheery news that the water in airplanes is contaminated with fecal bacteria.

About one in eight U.S. passenger planes were found to be infected with coliform bacteria.

So - bring your own, and don't bother washing your hands in the lavatory: you might as well wash them in the toilet bowl.

Just one more reason flying is not only unpleasant, but potentially hazardous to passengers.

As it is, we've had to accept decreased fresh air flow in the cabin as airlines cut corners to save every penny to avert bankruptcy.

Providing fresh air to the cabin costs extra, so it's been cut back.

Here's the disturbing USA Today story, by Elizabeth Weise.
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Tests point to bacteria in water on airplanes

The next time you fly, you might want to ask for bottled water. And bring along some hand wipes while you're at it.

Random tests of drinking water from 158 U.S. passenger planes found that about one in eight were contaminated with bacteria from human waste, the Environmental Protection Agency reported Monday.

Tanks on aircraft provide water for both lavatory sinks and galleys and to make coffee and tea.

They are typically topped off each time a plane lands, which means each airport is a potential source of contamination, either via its own water supply or from contaminated nozzles on the hoses used to fill the tanks.

The tanks are flushed and disinfected regularly.

The EPA suggests that people with compromised immune systems - such as cancer and transplant patients and people with HIV - stick to canned or bottled water when flying and avoid washing their hands or brushing their teeth in plane lavatories.

Water quality on airplanes is a unique problem, says Tom Skinner of the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

"Because planes travel the globe over the course of a day, a plane can take on water at 10 sites, including sites outside the United States."

The agency found that 20 of the water tanks tested were infected with coliform bacteria, and two also tested positive for E. coli bacteria.

Coliform bacteria indicate that the water has been contaminated with fecal material.