Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #447

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Yucky Ducky? Study Reveals Bath-time Toy's Dirty Secret
By Frank Jordans and Jamey Keaten, AP
Scientists have the dirt on the rubber ducky: Those cute yellow bath-time toys are — as some par- ents have long suspected — a haven for nasty bugs.
Swiss and American researchers counted the microbes swim-
ming inside the toys and say the murky liquid released when ducks were squeezed con- tained "potentially pathogenic bacte- ria" in four out of the five toys stud- ied.
The bacteria found included Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that is "often implicated in hospital-
acquired infec- tions," the authors said in a state- ment.
The study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, ETH Zurich and the University
of Illinois was published Tuesday in the journal Biofilms and Microbiomes. It's billed as one of the first in- depth scientific
examinations of its kind.
They turned up a strikingly high volume — up to 75 million cells per square cen- timeter (0.15 square inch) — and variety of bacteria and fun- gus in the ducks.
Tap water doesn't usually foster the growth of bacte- ria, the scientists said, but low- quality polymers
in the plastic materials give them the nutrients they need. Bodily fluids — like urine and sweat — as well as contami- nants and even soap in bathwater add microbes and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus and create balmy brine for bacteria.
"We've found very big differences between different
bath animals," said microbiolo- gist and lead study author Lisa Neu, alluding to other types of bath toys — like rubber crocodiles — that also were examined. "One of the reasons was the material, because it releas- es carbon that can serve as food for the bacteria."
While certain amounts of bacte- ria can help strengthen chil- dren's immune systems, they can also lead to eye, ear and intestinal infections, the researchers said. Among the vul- nerable users: Children "who may enjoy squirt- ing water from bath toys into their faces," a statement from the institute said.
The scientists, who received
funding from the Swiss govern- ment as part of broader research into household objects, say using higher-quality polymers to make the ducks could prevent bacterial and fungal growth. The Swiss govern- ment isn't making any recommenda- tions at this stage.
Known for their squeaks and eulogized in
a Sesame
Street song on TV, rubber duck- ies have been a childhood bath- time staple for years. Online vendor Amazon.c om lists one such offering — adver- tised as water- tight to prevent mildew — among the top 10 sellers in its "Baby Bath Toys" category
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