U.S. Says Drinking Water on Some Planes Contaminated
 (Washington, Reuters Health, 9/21/04)

When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently took drinking water samples from 158 commercial aircraft, more than 12% tested positive for potentially harmful bacteria. As a result, the EPA has warned that passengers with “compromised immune systems”should not consume beverages brewed or mixed onboard, or even wash with the tap water. While the EPA now wants to establish regulations for oversight of airline water supplies, the airlines are questioning the government’s testing and sampling methods, pointing out that there have been no reports of illness due to airline water