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2. Water Bottle Safety
“Hey look at that dog peeing on the sideline over there!”
Well we have just established how important it is to maintain proper hydration. Now how do we prevent contamination or illness through the water bottles themselves?
Sharing Water Bottles
Everyone knows that this practice is a no-no yet there are still teams who use a 6 or 8 pack of water bottles for all the players to share. Sharing water bottles can lead to transmission of a number of dangerous viruses, as well as relatively benign cases of colds and flu. One soccer mom just told us how her daughter caught “mono” from sharing her water bottle with another player (Mononucleosis is a virus that causes fever, fatigue, headache, lymph node enlargement, liver and/or spleen enlargement. Mono stays with a person for life).
Reusing Water Bottles
Germs from your saliva thrive in room temperature water where they can multiply rapidly and cause disease. You may think that you are doing an environmental service by reusing your player’s water bottle but consider that a study of water bottles at a Calgary elementary school found bacteria in kids' bottles that would prompt health officials to issue boil-water advisories, had the samples come from a tap. Researchers discovered bacterial contamination in about one-third of the samples collected from kids' water bottles at the school. Some samples even showed evidence of fecal coliforms (microorganisms found in human and animal excrement).
If your water bottle is intended for reuse then wash it well after each use in warm sudsy water then rinse it very well afterwards.
Travel and Water Bottle Safety
Nothing ruins a good trip like getting sick. The more common bacteria found in water include the infamous E-Coli and Salmonella, but bugs can also include protozoa, viruses, and chemical pollutants. The best way to protect players is to drink bottled water over tap water. Bruce Wilson, University of Victoria Men’s Soccer Coach says “When traveling, if you don’t open it, you don’t drink it. It’s not worth the risk.” If bottled water is not available then boiling water for 5 minutes usually kills most the micro-organisms.
When we trained in Africa and whenever we traveled to train or play, the team always kept an enormous supply of bottled water. They never took the chance that the tap water was clean and drinkable. Each player received a bottle whenever he wanted, though many times they took a drink then threw the bottle down on the grass – lots of water was wasted this way but many water borne illnesses were probably prevented as a result of the practice.
Keep Water Bottles Clean
I cringe every time I see players throw their water bottles on the ground as the field itself may be a serious source of contamination and disease. I will allow my bias to show here and suggest that players keep their drink bottles in the Hydration Station system by Goal-Tek Innovations www.goal-tek.com. These Stations hold the players’ water bottles so that they stay safe, clean, organized, and nearby. Coaches can keep the Station in the technical area as a meeting place during water breaks and can also move the Station around so that water is close to the players at all times.
An independent lab looked at levels of micro-organisms in both grass and turf soccer fields. We present the results of this study to you in the chapters on Grass Field Hazards and Turf Field Hazards.
Players should not ever leave their water bottles in the grass, dirt, or turf. These findings really shocked us – we liken a drink bottle left on the soccer pitch to leaving it on the bathroom floor, or worse. Goaltenders often leave their water bottles right near one of the goal posts. Our experience has shown that the soccer goal area is the most likely area to find contaminants varying from dog droppings to cigarette butts. I invite other clubs to test random samples from the technical areas of their grass or turf fields – send me the results and I will add them to the database for the next edition of this book. We took the field samples from the technical area and the goal area of each park as these are the areas where most players leave their bottles and gear on the ground. For the sake of consistency we ask that others test their fields in a similar manner.
Are Plastic Bottles Safe?
Makers of Lexan water bottles received a bad reputation and have been embroiled in a controversy for the past two years, ever since a researcher at Case Western Reserve University said they may pose health risks. The researcher found that Lexan bottles leached a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) into the water of lab rats. This chemical is a nasty one and has been associated with breast cancer and birth defects. On closer reading, the lab workers washed the bottles with harsh detergent and hot water (perhaps not unlike the average dishwasher). Like any material, plastic does degrade over time; you can see this in polycarbonate bottles when they become cloudy or faded in appearance. If you notice any change to the material, or if a bottle gives off a distinct plastic taste, it should no longer be used.
To minimize the threat of the material breaking down, some companies recommend washing bottles only with warm, soapy water and never subjecting them to a dishwasher. Microwaves are another no-no. And if any chips or cracks appear in the material, it's time to throw them out in favor of a new plastic, aluminum or stainless steel drinking container. |
