Equipping medical hand-washing stations with cold drinking-quality water – a contribution to sustainability
Equipping medical handwashing stations with cold water only as a standard is recommended for the following reasons: contribution to sustainability through a reduced carbon footprint, reduced risk of Legionella spp. proliferation in the drinking water system, elimination of the need to test hot water for Legionella spp., prevention of accidental scalding, reduced skin irritation, and cost savings – all while achieving the same reduction of transient skin flora as with warm water.
Authors
- H Baum
- Simone Scheithauer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0773-4739)
- Marc Thanheiser
- Axel Krämer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4193-2149)
- Franziska Lexow
- Martin Exner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6383-7866)
- Britta Hepner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5660-157X)
Institutions
- Universität Ulm (DE)
- Robert Koch Institute (DE)
- Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (DE)
- University Hospital Bonn (DE)
- Universitätsmedizin Göttingen (DE)
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene (DE)
- University Hospital Ulm (DE)
- University of Göttingen (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- GMS. Hygiene and infection control
- Published
- 2026-09-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000676
- Primary Topic
- Legionella and Acanthamoeba research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00