[Billcat]

What adults do about their baths in their own homes in, frankly, their business, at least for as long as they own that home. If they wish to sell, then the home ought to meet the standard. Public facilities, however, should be required to meet the standard.

There are many people who need to be protected from overly hot water. Young children are much more prone to scalding (and at far lower temperatures) than adults, and the smaller ones can do little but scream if the water becomes too hot - at least until they grow big enough to control the water themselves. While most scalding incidents are minor, there are still many cases of scarring and death can even result

Also, there are many adults who suffer from neuropathy and cannot tell if the water is too hot. I speak from personal experience as my wife, having had diabetes for many years, has had neuropathy coming on for a long time. There is very little remaining feeling in her feet and legs, which makes the risk of serious injury very real indeed. It's not exactly a rare problem. Systems that either limit the water temperature and/or cut off the flow if there is a sudden spike in temperature are a wise precaution, both for our home and in public places. The cost of doing this is not exactly a major burden.

Also, while we all depend on the water pressure remaining as set, in homes with older plumbing the flush of a toilet elsewhere in the house can cause a sudden dip in cold water pressure, causing the temperature in the shower to quickly spike to scalding temperatures. I'm not sure how the liability laws work in the UK, but I'm sure that building owners (and their insurers) in the USA would prefer to take reasonable measures to prevent scalding, and reduce the risk of injuring people - especially if the result is favorable to their insurance premiums!

I got to wondering if people complained about the cost of having to install indoor plumbing and sewage treatment, rather than the inexpensive and ever-so-picturesque backyard loo, not to mention those quaint, frequent, and exciting cholera epidemics that were the result of old fashioned neighborhood wells and those loos.

Not quite sure why Acrylic-Bob wishes to take issue with having diabled loos available. The simple addition of these facilities in our workplaces and public facilities make it possible for many disabled folks to continue to support themselves and continue to have a life, instead of becoming a burden on their families and the taxpaying public. They don't make things any less convenient for ordinary folks, as they can also use the accessible loo if they need to. The additional cost is much more reasonable when done as part of new construction, especially when compared with the cost of retrofitting handicapped facilities in existing buildings.