The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) encourages caution when using public swimming pools

PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS- AMENITY OR LIABILITY?

 

Most people don’t think about bacteria in public swimming pools. Each summer, millions of them jump into their neighborhood pools.....And each summer, thousands of them get sick from bacteria in the water.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

• People carry, on average, about 0.14 grams of feces on their bottoms which can contaminate pool water, even without a "fecal accident", presenting a potential health hazard. Two weeks after a person's diarrhea has stopped, he is still contagious and can contaminate the water! 
• Millions of the cryptosporidium ("crypto") or giardia parasite's chlorine-resistant outer shells can be shed in one accidental burst of loose watery stools which rapidly dissipates in swimming pools and become virtually invisible.
• Crypto parasites, the leading cause of infectious outbreaks of diarrhea linked to pool water, cause “a profuse, watery diarrhea” that can last up to three weeks in otherwise healthy adults that can lead to conditions like dehydration, coughing, cramps, vomiting and often hospitalization.
• Cryptosporidiosis is extremely chlorine resistant and can survive for up to 10 days even in a properly chlorinated pool. The CDC warns that it takes about 15,300 minutes or 10.6 days of disinfecting with chlorine for Crypto to be killed off. 
• Both the CDC and Tulsa Health Department advise that the pool should be closed (cleared!) immediately to allow for the 10.6 days of disinfecting.

E. coli O157: H7 and Shigellosis are also associated with diarrheal outbreaks. Yet, most swimmers are not going to sound the alarm by admitting what they just 'let loose' in the pool.

• POOL MANAGERS ARE required to report ALL fecal incidents:   ODH Incident Report
• POOL VISITORS: report concerns to the Tulsa Health Department at (918) 595-4200 and file a Health Complaint with the Oklahoma State Department of Health: https://www.ok.gov Health_Service_Complaint
  

Health and safety violations force thousands of public pools to close. Closings occur very frequently, as not all pools are well-regulated, according to a report published in Centers for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.  

The incubation period for the most common types of infection is from 1-10 days, thus many people don't make the connection between pool use and their illness.   (It is suggested to mark your calendar every single time you or any family members go in a public pool to see if there is any sickness that happens within 10 days.)

Swimmers should not rely solely on the pool's chemical treatments

• Chlorine does not kill germs instantly, nor does it kill all of them. Unfortunately, chlorinated, swimming pools can and do still transmit disease. In addition, the unique circulation patterns found in pools may allow poor water circulation in some areas, making it unlikely that all pathogen activity can be fully prevented.  Would it make you feel better when it is reopened to know that the feces particles (which are not readily visible to the naked eye yet remain) have been chlorinated or shocked?  
• According to the CDC you should not swim in a public pool for two weeks after suffering from diarrhea. Even after the diarrhea has stopped, the bacteria that caused the illness is still present in the body and can’t be destroyed by the chlorine in order to protect others. To keep from infecting others the CDC warns to avoid the swimming pool for two weeks after having diarrhea, yet 24% of people surveyed said they would get in the pool one hour after having diarrhea. 

Remember you can never completely avoid bodily fluid in pools because you share the water —and the germs in it—with everyone else in the pool.

• Younger children may not "wipe good" after using the toilet, but wiping with toilet tissue does NOT kill anything anyway.
• People (yes, children and adults!) often use public pools as their bathtub instead of washing their bodies at home. Pools are full of body discharges such as  eye pus from sore or inflamed eyes, parasites, boogers, hair product, ear wax or nose discharge (dripping snot), scabs, puke, urine, fecal matter/ diarrhea remnants, saliva, dead skin, dirty feet, semen, toe jam, sweat, belly button lint, blood, boils, eczema, seborrhea, dandruff, or other acute or obvious skin or body infections, or cuts, persons with colds, etc.
• Body lotions, suntan creams, dust, pollen, air pollutants,  insects, street and workplace soil, along with rain runoff that brings igerms  from wildlife and pets 'droppings'.

PEE IN THE POOL- a typical sized public swimming pool may contain an average of 20 gallons of urine, while larger pools will contain more.

• Chlorine binding to urine and sweat is what makes your eyes red after swimming.  
• Urine in the pool presents a great health hazard by spreading bacteria, such as norovirus, which is highly contagious.
• Bacteria from urine and feces, along with pool chemicals, get absorbed into swimsuit fabric. This creates a damp, warm place for germs to create a yeast infection or a urinary tract infection (UTI).

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Other ways you can get infected:

• Germs can enter other openings, such as the nose, eyes, sores, pores, etc.  To protect yourself and your children, especially don't go in pools when you have open or recent wounds such as from a surgery or a piercing.
• Children sometimes spit pool water back into the pool or at their friends. Serious infections can develop and rapidly multiply from ingesting a small amount of water contaminated with feces containing germs that cause diarrheal illness. This is a common method of transmission for the parasites that cause gastrointestinal diseases. Small children are more likely to ingest pool water and everything that comes in it.

A few steps you can take to help lower risk of others getting sick:

• Shower thoroughly with soap and water before and after swimming and wash your children, especially their rear ends, before they enter a pool.
• Remove small children from pools for bathroom breaks.
• Check diapers often. Swim diapers, which were designed simply to keep formed "number two" contained until Mom or Dad can get to the diaper changing station allow urine and diarrhea to go right through into the water.
• Change diapers in a bathroom, not beside the pool.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after using a toilet or changing diapers.

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A myriad public pools in five states were cited for health violations due to insufficient concentrations of chlorine. Too much chlorine in a pool and chlorine’s harsh effects can severely irritate your eyes and skin.

Dangers associated with chlorine and other chemicals.

Many other Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs) (skin, ear, eye, respiratory, neurologic, wound, and other infections) are caused by chemicals when the contaminated water is accidentally swallowed, or when chemical mists in the air are breathed.

Although greater toxin absorption occurs through the skin than through breathing , inhaling it alone is sufficient to cause hypersensitivity and "asthma-like" respiratory conditions, especially in children. Children inhale more air per unit of body weight than adults and absorb relatively greater amounts of toxins and therefore, are at greater risk. While swimmers can absorb toxic levels of chlorine products in just one swim session, frequent swimming increases the toxic concentrations and does not allow the toxins to be completely cleared from the body.

Numerous scientific studies report that chlorine is so toxic that it:

• is linked to a greater incidence of bladder, breast and bowel cancer as well as malignant melanoma, and destroys much of the intestinal flora, which protect the body from harmful pathogens.
• cause congenital cardiac anomalies, alter DNA and suppress immune function, all which accelerate the aging process. 
• can corrode metals around the aquatic venue which may explain why it can erode dental enamel and is associated with rashes like eczema.

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Commonly cited safety violations include poorly maintained equipment, such as pumps, filters, and chemical feeders, which all create an opportunity for infectious diseases to spread.

The CDC encourages swimmers to do all they can to protect themselves from getting sick when visiting public pools by  using the following quick checklist to identify some of the most common health and safety problems:

• If the main drain in the bottom of the pool isn't clearly visible, do not get in; the pool may not be regularly maintained or cleaned.
• If the pool doesn’t even have a life ring or similar safety equipment handy, then it’s a fair indicator it doesn’t closely follow other pool safety regulations.  Ask to see the daily test records if you have some doubts.

• Use a test strip (available at most superstores or pool-supply stores) to determine if the pH and free chlorine or bromine concentration are correct.

 If you are concerned about what you see, the  CDC recommends reporting it to:

1. Tulsa Health Department advises to call them at (918) 595-4200.
2. Oklahoma State Department of Health: https://www.ok.gov Health_ Complaint

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is another common illness that can result from a day spent at the local pool.



Maybe this explains why so many public pools have closed and why educated parents refuse to allow their kids in public swimming pools.