According to French media, a group of Swiss and American researchers explored the 'dark side' of cute rubber ducks and other soft plastic toys in the bathtub.
According to the AFP report on March 27, the Swiss government released the conclusion of the joint study on the 27th. The conclusion is that any plastic material soaked in the bathtub provides ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria and fungi.
The Swiss government's statement stated: 'The soft surfaces of these soft toys breed a large number of bacteria and fungi. When they are squeezed by children, the dirty liquid inside can often be sprayed.'
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Water Technology, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at the United States have found that: 'It is not only plastic materials that promote the growth of various microorganisms, but also bathers themselves.'
According to the report, the researchers used a bathtub toy that was actually used by people and a new toy that was used under simulated home conditions to conduct comparative tests. In 11 weeks, they put some new toys in clear water and others put it in clean water. In a dirty bath containing soap and body fluids, they cut the toy. The research report stated: 'The result sounded a bit disgusting: 5 to 75 million cells per square centimeter inside the toy.'
However, the researchers emphasized that there are significant differences between plastic toys that come into contact with different types of water.
The statement said: 'The fungus was found in nearly 60% of the actual used bath toys and all new toys that touched dirty water.'
The statement said, 'In all experimental toys, 80% of all tested bacteria have been found to be pathogenic, including Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa', which are the culprits for some serious infections.
According to the report, the main problem is that warm water will enter the toys, and these toys are usually made of inferior polymers. These polymers will release organic carbon compounds and become nutrients for the growth of bacterial colonies.
The statement also said: 'In the bathing process, it will also bring other key nutrients produced by the human body such as nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as additional bacteria (such as body fluids such as urine and sweat), external pollutants and personal care products.'
According to reports, bacteria and fungi are breeding in toys, and children often like to squeeze water from these toys into their faces.
Microbiologist Frederick Hammes stated in the statement: 'This may help strengthen the immune system. This is positive, but it may also cause eye, ear and even gastrointestinal infections.'
So, should we throw the ducks out of the bathtub or, like some suggestions on the Internet forums, simply plug the holes in the toys to avoid the accumulation of water inside them?
Khames proposed a more scientific approach: to strengthen the supervision of polymer materials used to produce bath toys.