Bottled Water in the Carry-On?

The New York Times > Travel > Practical Traveler: "recent tests by the United States Environmental Protection Agency suggest that airline passengers may want to use the same caution before landing. In August and September, the E.P.A. tested the water on 158 domestic and international aircraft at United States airports, finding that 87 percent met the agency's standards for the quality of drinking water. Of course, that meant 13 percent did not.

What the E.P.A. found in the water that did not meet standards is total coliform bacteria, which isn't necessarily harmful (it's common in soil, lakes, humans and animals), but its presence in drinking water indicates that other disease-causing organisms may be lurking. On two aircraft, the E.P.A. also found E. coli, which may indicate fecal contamination and can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or other illnesses.

"You can have contamination in the truck, the hose, the aircraft tank itself - so there are multiple possibilities."

The Vessel Sanitation Program also conducts unannounced inspections of cruise ships twice a year and publishes results online, at www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp. "