Art-ology

It may seem far fetched but wiper blades on all present vehicles can in some circumstances pose a serious public health risk and here’s why. It has been stated that as many as thirty percent of cases of Legionnaires disease is created by wiper blades water in both England and Wales. This is according to a study conducted by the Health Protection Agency which went on to highlight the dangers of wiper blades fluid which makes a warm stagnant environment for the alarming bacteria to reproduce rapidly. The bacteria in question is known to be a causal agent in things like pneumonia and can be cheaply killed simply by combining a screen wash to the water in the wiper blades washer tank. This link was found by in depth statistical analysis of full time drivers who were seen to be much more likely to contract the disease. In two thousand and nine there were around three hundred cases recorded and those most at risk were guys who spent a lot of time in their vehicle, did not use screen wash and who drew their window down. The problem with adding screen wash is that rubber manufactured wiper blade will soon begin to break down in the presence of these astringent chemicals.

This is a common problem with rubber based windscreen wipers and is only made worse by other factors such as ultra violet and pollution in the environment. When a rubber made windscreen wipers starts to ablate it will give off some tell tale signs that it needs replacing, the first of these is that it will begin to make a noise, either a squeak or a judder, this is an tell tale remark that the windscreen wipers shape has been badly compromised. Once the delicate leading edge is bent then the windscreen wipers no longer impacts the wind screen effectively and instead shakes over the surface causing shakes and hence sound waves, which are then picked up by your bony labyrinth. Another sign that the windscreen wipers has been compromised is that it wipes the wind screen unevenly and leaves a streaky mark around the length of the wind screen.

This is just another signal of the first condition being that the wipers no longer contacts well to the wind screen and instead contacts the glass intermittently. The only answer to this problem as using screen cleaner is absolutely vital to avoid contamination of the water supply by dangerous bacteria is to get some new wipers; preferably you should get some made out of a product called silicone. Silicone based wipers do not ablate in the presence of water, ultra violet or an arrangement of other chemicals. It is a polymer which is heat resistant and has a unique non stick property. The next time you switch your wipers however you should be aware of the risks of catching a disease and take appropriate precautions. Wear a face mask, give your wipers a nice clean, and wash your hands after using them. If you are using screen fluid you have nothing to worry about in that regards but better safe than sorry in this observer’s opinion.