As we are getting into summer, the public swimming pools are inviting, but in the water a danger may lie according to a new study by the Water Quality and Health Council one in five admit to urinating in the swimming pool. The CDC also reports that more than 7 in 10 admit skipping showers before they go swimming.
While chlorine in pools offer some protection, chlorine does not kill all potential illness causing germs. And, a study by the same group last year showed 54% of public pools did not have enough chlorine. The CDC also says 358 people probably got sick from an Illinois water park in 2001. In this incident, although the water park did have proper chlorine levels, the water also contained the Cryptosporidium parasite, which is resistant to chlorine.
Here are recommendations from the CDC that promote Healthy Swimming:
- Keep germs from causing recreational water illnesses (RWIs):
- Don't swim when you have diarrhea. You can spread germs in the water and make other people sick.
- Don't swallow the pool water. Avoid getting water in your mouth.
- Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Germs on your body end up in the water.
- Take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Waiting to hear "I have to go" may mean that it's too late.
- Change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area and not at poolside. Germs can spread in and around the pool.
- Wash your child thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before swimming. Invisible amounts of fecal matter can end up in the pool.
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