Healthy Swimming Pools

“If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do all the rest have to drown too?”~Steven Wright

One of the joys of summer is swimming in the town pool. But after reading the CDC site on Healthy Pools I’m not sure I want to go into the water. “Be afraid, be very afraid.”

The past two decades have seen a rise in Recreational Water Illness (RWI). RWIs are illnesses that are spread by swallowing, breathing, or having contact with contaminated water in pools or lakes. The cause may be germs, bacteria or viruses and the most frequent symptom is diarrhea.

Diarrhea is also the most likely cause of RWI. If someone has “an accident” in the pool, millions of germs are released. Chlorine (assuming the proper level has been maintained) will kill most germs in under 30 minutes but some, like Crypto, can survive for days in pool water. Another source of germs is dirty bottoms – how many people wash their butt when taking the mandatory pre-pool shower? Yet another source is dirty diapers from infants in the pool or diapers changed at poolside and the germs carried into the water on someone’s feet.

Here are the CDC’s recommendations to prevent RWIs:

• Don’t swim if you have diarrhea (especially children & infants)
• Takes kids to the bathroom frequently. Change diapers in the bathroom.
• Don’t swallow pool water
• Wash your child’s behind in the shower and practice good hygiene.

Bottom Line

How can you tell if a pool is clean and safe? Here are some signs of pool cleanliness:

• Sight: Clean water is clear and blue. You should be able to see the drain and painted stripes at the bottom of the pool. Dirty water is cloudy.
• Touch: Tiles should not feel sticky or slimy or slippery. The water should not stick to your fingers.
• Smell: If you detect a strong “chlorine” smell then the pool is full of chloramines and the actual chlorine level may be low (i.e. used up). The smelly chloramines are created when chlorine combines with body oil, urine, sweat and other contaminants brought in by swimmers. This indicates that the water is not circulating quickly enough for the volume of swimmers in the pool.
• Sound: Ask your pool operator how often the chlorine and pH levels are checked.