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Peer-reviewedCC BYGMS hygiene and infection control

Equipping medical hand-washing stations with cold drinking-quality water - a contribution to sustainability.

  • Simone Scheithauer1,2
  • Franziska Lexow3
  • Britta Hepner3
  • Martin Exner2
  • Heike von Baum2,4
  • Marc Thanheiser3
  • Axel Kramer2,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Infection Control and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
  2. 2Member of the Commission for Infection Prevention and Hygiene in Healthcare and Nursing (KRINKO) at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Berlin, Germany.
  3. 3Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Department for Infectious Diseases, Unit 14 Hospital Hygiene, Infection Prevention and Control, Berlin, Germany.
  4. 4Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Clinic Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
  5. 5Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
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Abstract

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.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{scheithauer2026equipping,
  title = {{Equipping medical hand-washing stations with cold drinking-quality water - a contribution to sustainability.}},
  author = {Simone Scheithauer and Franziska Lexow and Britta Hepner and Martin Exner and Heike von Baum and Marc Thanheiser and Axel Kramer},
  journal = {GMS hygiene and infection control},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.3205/dgkh000676},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923100},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Equipping medical hand-washing stations with cold drinking-quality water - a contribution to sustainability.
AU  - Simone Scheithauer
AU  - Franziska Lexow
AU  - Britta Hepner
AU  - Martin Exner
AU  - Heike von Baum
AU  - Marc Thanheiser
AU  - Axel Kramer
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
JO  - GMS hygiene and infection control
DO  - 10.3205/dgkh000676
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923100
AB  - 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.
SN  - 2196-5226
ER  -