Adding windshield washer fluid could decrease risk of illness

The AFP (Agence France-Presse) reports that using only water in your car's windshield washer reservoir could increase your chances for contracting Legionnaires' disease.

The report, coming from a recent Health Protection Agency (HPA) study, stated that motorists could increase their chances of getting the disease by around 20 percent if additional washer fluid isn't added to the mix.

The researchers for the study interviewed 75 patients in England and Wales who had recovered from community-acquired Legionnaires' disease between July 2008 and March 2009, comparing them to a group of matched people who had not experienced any similar infection. Willing participants were questioned on their driving habits, possible Legionella sources in vehicles, and known risk factors.

The bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease usually grow in the water or ventilation systems of large public buildings. When inhaled, the bacteria can cause pneumonia.

The AFP reports that this is the first time a link has been made between the disease and windshield washer fluid, and it goes on to say that "adding screen wash could mitigate the transmission of Legionella bacteria to drivers and passengers." An HPA spokesperson commented that "further studies are now needed to determine whether the use of screen wash in wiper fluid could play a role in preventing this disease." The HPA is exploring ways of taking this study forward with other organizations participating. The study found two exposures associated with vehicle use where there was an increased risk of Legionnaires' disease: driving through industrial areas and driving or being a passenger in a vehicle without windshield wash in its wiper fluid. These associations had not been previously identified.

The abstract stated that "Not adding screenwash to windscreen wiper fluid is a previously unidentified risk factor and appears to be strongly associated with community acquired sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease."

The HPA carried out the study after finding that cases of the potentially fatal disease were five times more prevalent among professional drivers in England and Wales than expected.

Between 400 and 550 cases of Legionnaires ' disease have been reported in England and Wales in the last two years, with around one third of those infected as a result of travel to another country.

So next time your windshield wiper fluid needs to be topped off, use a washer detergent, not just plain water. It may cut down the risk of disease and certainly will keep the windshield cleaner.