Swimming is a fun and healthy activity for people of all ages. However, improperly chlorinated water puts swimmers at risk for recreational water illnesses like diarrhea and ear and skin infections. Test strips are an easy way to check the water and maintain a healthy pool. When testing pool water, swimmers should be sure that
Unhealthy pools are more common than you may think. Newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), underscores the importance of protecting yourself and your family at the pool this summer. The CDC reports a disturbing statistic: About 1 out of 8 public pool inspections conducted in 13 states in 2008 resulted in pools being closed immediately due to serious code violations. The venues that had the most disinfection violations were kiddie/wading pools and water play areas.
Cryptosporidium is a microscopic pathogen that finds its way into various water sources like swimming pools, water parks, and drinking water supplies due to fecal contamination from humans and animals. Discovered in 1976, Cryptosporidium, also known as “crypto,” contaminates these water sources and is one of the leading causes of diarrhea and malnutrition worldwide. In the largest
A recent Scientific American column grossly overplays an unsubstantiated risk associated with drinking water chlorination. It overlooks the benefits of chlorine as an inexpensive and highly effective disinfectant and does not recognize that the regulatory limits for chlorine and disinfection byproducts were set following a thorough review of credible health data. The article blatantly promotes a
A number of pool chemical-related health events have made headlines in recent months, including a chemical leak at a Las Vegas hotel-casino and a filter pump malfunction at an Indiana water park that sent two dozen people to the hospital. However, many more incidents never make the headlines. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control
Do you know what’s in your public pool? A recent Water Quality and Health Council survey found that almost half (47%) of respondents admit to one or more behaviors that contribute to an unhealthy pool. One in five (17 percent) say they’ve urinated in the pool – and eight in ten (78 %) are convinced