06
Jul
2018
Hygiene & Health

More Swimmers through “Lessons from Lylah”
15
Jun
2018
Hygiene & Health
by Ralph Morris, MD, MPH

Checking on the Health of Public Aquatic Facilities

Aquatic Facility Risks Summer is synonymous with water fun, a time to enjoy community, hotel and resort pools, hot tubs and waterparks. But what are the risks associated with these aquatic facilities? This spring, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an update on swimming pool waterborne disease outbreaks in the US. What... Read More »
25
May
2018
Hygiene & Health
by Ralph Morris, MD, MPH, and Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Swimming Pool Sanitizer and Shower Myths

Swimmer hygiene was once a relatively taboo topic. In 2009, we broke the ice by reporting on a survey that found one in five American adults admit to having “peed in the pool.” The floodgates were open! In recent years, we’ve written about the swimming pool as a “communal bathtub” and one in which one... Read More »
15
May
2018
Hygiene & Health
by Water Quality & Health Council

Would You Know If Your Local Pool Failed Its Health Inspection? Unlikely, Survey Reveals

New Survey Finds Many Swimmers Unaware of Potential Health Risks Millions of Americans will soon head to their local swimming pool, but a new survey finds that many swimmers aren’t aware they might be wading into potential health risks at the pool. Would swimmers know? The annual Healthy Pools survey, conducted by the Water Quality &... Read More »
26
May
2017
Hygiene & Health
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD, and Ralph Morris, MD, MPH

Avoiding Crypto at the Pool this Summer

This summer the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and health departments across the country will strive to keep an unwanted parasite out of America’s pools, hot tubs and water parks. The microscopic organism, “Crypto,” short for Cryptosporidium, causes diarrhea and spreads through recreational water via the fecal-to-oral route. Yes, that’s a revolting image,... Read More »
16
May
2017
Hygiene & Health
by Water Quality & Health Council

Survey: 1 in 4 Adults Would Swim with Diarrhea

Diarrheal outbreaks linked to swimming are a persistent challenge for aquatic venues Americans will soon head to the pool as Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the swimming season, but a new survey reveals that there may be more in the pool than just water. The survey, conducted on behalf of the Water... Read More »
05
May
2017
Outbreaks
by Fred Reiff, PE

Out of the Jungle: Yellow Fever on the Rise

Yellow fever, a deadly scourge transmitted by mosquitoes that has impacted the course of human history time and time again, is on the rise in Latin America. The first yellow fever death in Brazil in 17 years occurred in January 2017, when a young person who worked in the jungle succumbed to the disease. A... Read More »
17
Mar
2017
Hygiene & Health
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Sweet Evidence for an Unsavory Practice: Peeing in the Pool

People urinate in swimming pools. It’s been a widely discussed topic since we published the results of our 2009 survey concluding that one in five American adults admit to having “peed in the pool.” Now there is physical evidence for this unsavory act, and it appears in the form of an artificial sweetener, of all... Read More »