Airline Safety and Regulation

A new analysis by the nonprofit Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity of more than 35,000 water samples from 10 major and 11 regional U.S. airlines over three years finds measurable contamination in onboard drinking water, prompting researchers to urge passengers to avoid tap water, coffee and tea on aircraft and use only bottled water and alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The group reports that 2.7% of samples tested positive for total coliform bacteria and E. coli was detected 32 times across 21 airlines, raising questions about enforcement of the EPA’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule even as carriers and their trade group insist they comply with federal safety protocols.