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Jed Boal Reporting It's a perfect time to plunge into a swimming pool. But if you're not careful, that cool dip can make you sick.
Many of us spend plenty of time at public pools in the summer. But recreational water illnesses are on the rise, and the health department wants us all to adopt healthy swimming habits.
School is out. Temperatures are climbing. And nearly one thousand licensed swimming pools in Salt Lake County alone are filled with people splashing around.
But, recreational water illnesses are on the rise nationally, and the Salt Lake Valley Health Department urges swimmers to adopt healthy swimming behaviors that will protect everyone.
And accidents DO happen.
Lyse Durrant/Cottonwood Rec Center Aquatics Manager: "So if parents would please let lifeguards know if their child has an accident. Nobody's in trouble, nobody's at fault, and that's what the business of pools is."
We assume chlorine kills germs. But low chemical levels and poorly maintained filter sytems can make it less effective. Besides, chlorine takes time to work.
E coli is destroyed in less than a minute. But Hepatitis A takes 16 minutes and Giardia 45 minutes.
Those germs cause recreational water illnesses, and get in the water through fecal contamination. They can give you diarrhea, or cause skin rashes, ear infections or respiratory infections.
Teresa Gray/Water Quality Supervisor, SLVHD: "This particular facility sees over two thousand people in one day. So, it's pretty safe. But there are things people can do to make it safer for everyone."
The health department has these tips:
- Don't swim when you have diarrhea. That spreads germs and can make others sick.
- Practice good hygiene. Shower before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet.
- Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often.
- Change diapers in a bathroom, not poolside.
- Wash your child thoroughly with soap and water before swimming.
No big outbreaks of a waterborne illness for several years here. Last year, the health department temporarily closed 98 pools due to a public health risk.
