Your Swimming Pool Can Make You Sick

We all get excited at the thought of heading to the nearest pool and dunking ourselves in cool water. With children heading to the pool almost every day, it becomes even more important to keep all swimming pools well maintained.

Public pools, recreational water bodies, water parks, water towers and coolers etc., are major habitats for microorganisms to thrive and grow, thereby affecting the end users. While maintenance activities are regularly undertaken in order to curtail bacteriological breeding, the effectiveness of the measures is unknown, especially since the historical practices are not enough for safe swimming.

Studies have revealed that merely adding chlorine or filtering water is not really enough to kill the bacteria and viruses in these water bodies. Germs today are immune to chlorine. In fact, just one gulp of this contaminated water can make you sick.

According to the Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention, "Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans. People fall ill due to consumption of contaminated water, sometimes even after it has been adequately chlorinated or sanitized."

Apart from gastrointestinal infections, wound infections and infections of the skin, ear, respiratory tract, eye and brain, there are several communicable diseases of concern that are commonly associated with recreational swimming, wading and use of bathing locations. A few are listed below (via Environment & Public Health Consultants):

• Shigellosis: This is also referred to as bacillary dysentery, and is characterised by fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea caused by Shigella. In most cases, stool contains blood and mucus.

• E. coli: Escherichia coli is a lethal organism that causes diarrhoea ranging from mild stools without blood to those that are virtually all blood.

• Cryptosporidiosis: The major symptoms include severe abdominal cramping, malaise, fever, anorexia and vomiting. One of the more interesting characteristics of this waterborne disease is the appearance of oocytes (female germ cells involved in reproduction), which are highly resistant to chemical disinfectants commonly used to purify drinking water. The oocytes are excreted through stool and remain infective for periods of 2-6 weeks.

• Hepatitis A: An illness commonly associated with raw sewage and recreational swimming environments, it often becomes problematic when existing sewage systems become overburdened due to heavy rainfall or flooding. Since this disease is caused by a virus, it does not respond to antibiotics.

• Pseudomonas: Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a variety of illnesses when associated with recreational swimming, but the most common manifestation is "swimmer's ear" and a variety of skin infections. The bacteria grow well in warm water environments such as hot tubs and spas, since heat often breaks down the disinfecting ability of pool chemicals. The skin rash known as ¡®hot tub folliculitus' takes on the appearance of chicken pox.

Take an active role in the condition of the water you swim in and you and your loved ones can enjoy a safe summer!

References:
Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs)
Environment & Public Health Consultants

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