Not the Silver Bullet: Uncovering the Unexpected Limited Impacts of Silver-Containing Showerheads on the Drinking Water Microbiome.

ABSTRACT: The incidence of waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States attributed to drinking water-associated pathogens that can cause infections in the immunocompromised DWPIs (e.g., Legionella pneumophila, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others) appears to be increasing. An emerging technology adopted to reduce DWPIs are point-of-use devices, such as showerheads that contain silver, a known antimicrobial material. In this study, we evaluate the effect of silver-containing showerheads on DWPI density and the broader microbiome in shower water under real-use conditions in a full-scale shower system, considering three different silver-modified showerhead designs: (i) silver mesh within the showerhead, (ii) silver-coated copper mesh in the head

SUBMITTER: Pitell S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11650587 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature