Rubber ducks: are they a bathtime danger?

Most children have squeezable plastic toys in the bath but according to a new study, they could be a health hazard.

That’s because water can get trapped inside and if it’s not cleaned out, turns into an unpleasant sludge.

Researchers have analysed this sludge and found that it’s full of bacteria. Having dissected some well-used bath toys they found the “dense and slimy biofilms” on their inner surfaces contained anything from five million to 75 million bacteria per square centimetre.

In addition, 80% of the toys were harbouring potentially harmful bacteria, including legionella (responsible for legionnaires’ disease) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (which is often implicated in hospital-acquired infections).

The researchers say that the problem is exacerbated by the “low quality polymeric materials” that are used to make bath toys: these release organic carbon compounds, which help fuel the growth of microbes.

In their report, published in the journal Biofilms and Microbiomes, the Swiss and American team speculated that if children squeeze the toys so that the sludge hits their faces, it could lead to infections – but there is no hard evidence for this.

Moreover, some level of exposure to bacteria is good for children. In short, parents should definitely squeeze the toys out after each bath, but they probably don’t need to put ducky in the bin.

Also, you could pop the toys periodically in the dishwasher.