Hygiene & Health

What is a hot tub? A stress-free, aqueous haven, or a water barrel brimming with bacteria? That was the essence of the question addressed in a recent Huffington Post interview with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologist Michele Hlavsa and University of Arizona Professor Charles Gerba. Although the headlines asserted, “This Will Make... Read More »

Annual Pool Survey Find Americans Anxious to Shake Off Winter Blues and Dive In WASHINGTON, D.C. – One in three Americans – and over half of Americans in the Northeast and Midwest regions – said the long, brutal winter of 2014 caused their worst cabin fever in at least a decade, and the “cure” many... Read More »

One in five American adults admit to “peeing in the pool,” according to our 2009 survey. That news elicits a collective “Yuk!” from the public. Now, new research conducted by the China Agricultural University and Purdue University (Lian et. al, 2014) draws a direct connection between swimming pool urination and potential negative health effects for... Read More »

Swimming in a properly maintained pool is a healthy and rewarding activity for people of all ages, but very few of us have the perspective of seven-time Olympic medalist swimmer and mom Amanda Beard. Beard recently partnered with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to encourage swimmers to protect themselves and their... Read More »

If you spend time at the pool this summer you probably will hear conversations that reinforce a few persistent myths about swimming pools. We invite you to check out three of the most popular myths below and then get the facts so that you can dazzle your poolside companions with your knowledge! Myth Fact If... Read More »

It’s the most widely told pool myth of all time: Don’t pee in the pool or the water will change color and everyone will know. Parents have long used the story of a chemical that changes color in the presence of urine to keep their children from peeing in the pool, and a new poll shows they believe it’s true.... Read More »

Does swimming in chlorinated pools cause asthma in children? In 2003, a Belgian research team proposed the increased exposure of children to chlorinated swimming pools could be responsible for rising rates of asthma among children in developed nations. But many other scientists (see below) challenge the “pool chlorine hypothesis,” as it is called, and since... Read More »