There is a bacteria in the bathtub

In a test conducted by TheMarker in collaboration with the Institute of Water and Food Microbiology, coliforms and disease-causing bacteria were found in 8 out of 10 jacuzzi facilities in spas that were tested

Dafna Lotsky and Nofer Sinai, Haaretz, Walla News!

https://www.hayadan.org.il/spabacteria.html

Everything can be said about our lifestyle, except to describe it as relaxed and calm. This is probably what makes industries known for peace - such as spas - flourish. About 150 spa resorts across the country sell us, with great success and for quite a bit of money, a feeling of self-indulgence in a relaxed atmosphere. The setting must include a white gown and a tone for the squeamish. When you are equipped with these - you are ready and ready for a dip in the jacuzzi.

However, from a test conducted by TheMarker in collaboration with the Institute for Microbiology of Water and Food, it is not certain that one can be so calm: in 8 out of 10 jacuzzi facilities at the spa sites tested, the water contained coliform bacteria and even pseudomonas bacteria that cause diseases. It seems that the supervision of the spa resort industry is not thorough, so the simple test we conducted for the quality of the hot tub water revealed alarming findings. It will only be mentioned that about a year ago a plastic surgeon was infected with a violent and unknown bacteria while bathing in his private jacuzzi, thus infecting 15 of his patients.

Professor Ronnie Wolff, director of the skin unit at the Kaplan Medical Center, is not surprised by the findings: "Jacuzzi and saunas can add pleasure, but they do not add health at all - the water in them carries dangers such as viruses, fungi, viral warts and bacteria in most cases, including tuberculosis-like bacteria. That is why I recommended that she not use such facilities in public places."

Even factors within the industry itself are aware of the problem: "As someone who operates a spa, I believe that the Ministry of Health does not sufficiently supervise the various aspects of spas, including the quality of the laundry, the therapists, the materials, the water, etc.," says Shay Greenberg, whose spa was inspected by us and found in it anomalies. "In the world there is an international umbrella organization in which 2,000 spas from 63 countries are united. The organization supervises the businesses and issues certificates on its behalf," says Greenberg. "Several months ago, we even initiated a move to establish such an organization in Israel, but unfortunately, although not to our surprise, the matter did not receive cooperation from other spa resorts, because compliance with the standards requires high maintenance expenses," he adds.

In response, the Ministry of Health stated that the responsibility for the supervision of the pools and hot tubs rests with the local authorities, and that the Ministry of Health regulations require the owners of the premises to conduct tests at their own expense in a recognized laboratory. It was also reported that the office conducts audits and sampling of all public swimming pools in the country. However, the Ministry of Health stated that "since we are talking about pools that are in the jurisdiction of different health bureaus (Rehovot, Tel Aviv, Netanya, Petah Tikva, Jerusalem and Ashkelon) a reference must be received from each of the bureaus for the above results."

This is how we checked - a certified model as an undercover customer

The test was conducted in a secret client format by a certified sampler of the Institute for Water and Food Microbiology, under the direction of Dr. Irit Weiser. We made contact with 10 spa centers throughout the country, where it was possible to order as part of the services provided also wading in the jacuzzi.

In most of the tested spa sites, the jacuzzi facilities are intended for the use of one person - that is, they are not large pools, but jacuzzi tubs similar to those installed in private homes.

The model, who posed as a regular customer and paid for the service he received, asked at the spa's reservation center to stay in the jacuzzi room alone - so he could sample the water undisturbed. The model also asked that oils and soaps not be added to the water. Not all sites responded to the last request. The sample was taken using a sterile bottle, according to the regulations. It was transported to the laboratory at a temperature of 4 degrees and tested within 24 hours, as required by the standard.

What we tested - three types of bacteria

The inspection findings were compared to business licensing regulations - adequate sanitation conditions for swimming pools, a container containing water for swimming or water recreation, with the exception of water tanks. The presence of three bacteria was tested: coliform bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Coliform bacteria are considered good indicators of disinfection. The regulations in Israel limit the number of coliforms in resort water to 10 per 100 ml of water. In the drinking water standard, the requirements for coliforms are even stricter (up to 3 per 100 ml).

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are pathogenic bacteria that cause disease. Among other things, this bacterium may cause inflammation and rashes on the skin. Installation in Israel limits the presence of up to 2 bacteria per 100 ml.

The third bacteria whose presence was tested is Pseudomonas aeruginosa - the pathogenic strain for humans - which is especially common in swimming pools, heated pools and hot tubs. This bacterium may cause ear and eye infections. Therefore, the regulations require the complete absence of these bacteria.

The Director of the Microbiology Institute, Dr. Irit Weiser, says that although there is no standard that specifically refers to jacuzzi facilities, private or public, the test findings should be compared to the existing licensing regulations, as they are the most appropriate and closest. She further adds that the results remain the same even if they are compared to the other standard - which we hope - whose requirements are the same: "We preferred to test the water without oils, but if there were oils, salts and soap in the water, then we expected the results to be even better, because the substances may disinfect the water .

What we found - disease-causing bacteria

Of the ten spa centers that were inspected, abnormalities were found in eight. The spa centers in Zipori and Ramat Pulag were found to be completely intact. In all the other spa centers, quite large anomalies were found in the coliform count and in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa count - the pathogenic bacterium whose presence in water is prohibited by regulations. Only in one spa were found high abnormalities and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus - also a pathogenic bacterium, which may cause inflammation and rashes on the skin.

Responses

Spa Body Balance: "The spa serves hundreds of satisfied customers. We are sorry for your test data and maintain a complete quality control system for the spa services, and to date we have not encountered any special problems. Immediately after receiving the data, we invited a professional to examine the issue and correct the deficiencies."

Fashion Spa - Shay Greenberg: "The place is one of the only ones in Israel that adheres to sanitary conditions above the requirements of the standards - we perform laboratory tests once a month and in July-August twice a month. There is also a PH and chlorine level test every two to three days, frequent water changes and a precise control system that warns of sanitation problems. In addition, care is taken to find out the patient's health status, including checking for skin diseases or infection. During the years of the spa's activity, there have never been such results and we can only conclude that there may have been a flaw in the sampling process, which requires the sampling of the water up to 24 hours from the moment it is taken and kept at a certain temperature. In the tests we conducted before and after your test, the results were normal."

Villa Spa: "The jacuzzi bath is intended for personal care for one person only. After each use, the tub is emptied and cleaned and filled again only before the next customer. In our ten years of operation, thousands of customers were treated, and there was not a single complaint about the quality of the water. If any problematic findings are found in the water, the claims should be directed to the sanitation department of the Tel Aviv municipality, which is responsible for the quality of the water supplied to the location. We will do everything we can to prevent the recurrence of such a case in the future."

Maga Marfa: "Our worldview is based on professionalism and service and in light of this, we are leading the field in regards to the professional level and the level of service, and we constantly adhere to strict criteria and procedures that are trusted by a professional, qualified and highly qualified organization. Taking the issue seriously, we immediately carried out a general and complete examination of the findings, with the cooperation of all the professional parties in the company and outside of it - YGL Water Services Ltd., Mr. Kobi Kaykov from the company 'Afikim Water Services' and headed by Mr. Omer Malmud, an expert External to water and swimming pools from the 'Polytech' company.

"From our inspection and based on the findings of your inspection, it appears that the water sample was taken from our oil bath intended for the private use of our clientele; The established procedure in our company is that after each use of a person in the oil bath, the water is completely emptied, the bath is disinfected and of course - filled with fresh water for the next person to use. The procedure is carried out strictly. Because of this, there is no need for a filtration and/or disinfection system in this type of oil bath, according to any existing instruction and regulation; If findings were found as shown in your examination, it is likely that their origin is not at all related to the installed bathtub. It seems that the results of the test you conducted do not serve the purpose for which they were done, they do not teach anything, and their publication, from which it is implied that the test was done in a public jacuzzi in the spa, when this is not the case, is misleading the reader."

Spa Berashit: "Since the sample was not taken in our presence, we do not know whether the sample and its transportation were done correctly. At the top of our eyes is the customer's satisfaction and maintaining his health. At the spa, after each use, we scrub and disinfect personal jacuzzi tubs and fill them with fresh water from Ramat Hasharon municipality, plus aromatic oils, before treating the next client.

"In addition, twice a week the piping is disinfected according to the manufacturer's instructions. It goes without saying that we make every effort to offer our guests a clean and sanitized bath. Following the results of the test, we ordered a certified model from the Ministry of Health in order to get a professional opinion and act immediately accordingly."

Ramat Rachel Hotel: "This is a home jacuzzi that we fill with water according to the customer's order. The daily cleaning of the health center includes the bathtub inside it. Once a week the bath is treated and disinfected according to the manufacturer's instructions. When ordering an oil bath, fill the bath with tap water with the designated oil mixture, and at the end empty the bath and clean it. We made an inquiry with a testing laboratory that provides us with regular service. As far as we know, the standard of the Ministry of Health regarding the water test sample should be no more than 6 hours from the moment the water sample is taken until the test is performed in the laboratory.

"Your test was done about 18 hours after it was taken, which must have affected the quality and accuracy of the test. We will go to the laboratory for a return visit and to check the process carried out with us".

Raphael Center: The spa is old and has a rich reputation and is committed to its customers in terms of quality and service. We are committed to maintaining the hygiene and aesthetics of the place. As part of our commitment to the quality of the facilities, we use an external company that performs periodic inspections, examines the level of quality and treats as required. In the last quality inspection, the facilities were found to be in good condition for use as required.

"We at "Raphael Center" welcome your action, but nevertheless we are satisfied with the results of the test, since the club has a jacuzzi installed with a high self-filtration system, which also works to disinfect the water and carries the American UL and European CE standards, both of which are among the most stringent. Therefore, the results of the test are puzzling in our eyes and require further testing.

We aim to examine the findings in depth, draw conclusions and continue to serve our customers in the best possible way."

Royal Spa: "No comment"

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