Health Risks Concerning Swimming Pool Water
Two of the most serious dangers resulting from improper water
treatment of pools, spas and cooling towers are E. Coli, which can be ingested from
contaminated pool water and Pseudomonas (Legionnaires' disease) which can be inhaled from
contaminated air near spas or cooling towers . Both of these can lead to serious illnesses
and fatalities.
E. coli
What is E.coli ?
E. coli is a common bacterium that lives in the digestive tracts of
humans and animals. The strain that sickened children in a White Water Recreation
Park near Atlanta, Georgia is E. coli 0157:H7 is highly toxic, causing bloody
diarrhea and severe cramps.
E. coli 0157:H7 is also the strain that killed three children and
sickened hundreds in Western Washington in 1993.
Another, less dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria was blamed for an
outbreak of the disease nicknamed "travelers diarrhea" in the Chicago area. Some
4,500 people fell ill after eating deli food over the June 6 weekend, the largest
documented outbreak in the United States involving the relatively rare bacterium.
26 children confirmed with E. coli O157:H7
Date: 07/17/98
Georgia public health officials have confirmed two more cases of E.
Coli O157:H7 in children who attended White Water Recreation Park. One child from
Texas and one from Georgia (Cherokee County) were at the park on June 18, 1998. Neither
child is hospitalized.
The two new cases were being followed by Public Health, but
laboratory tests were not final until this week. A case previously reported from Forsyth
County has now been removed from the list following further lab testing that did not
confirm E. coli. Seventeen cases have been confirmed in Georgia and nine from out
of state, bringing the total number to 26.
Cases are tied to exposure at White Water during June 11, 12, 17 and
18th. Possible explanations for the multiple days of exposure include four fecal accidents
at the park and/or two fecal accidents with high concentrations of bacteria at the park on
the 11th and 17th with some residual contamination on the following days, June 12 and
18th.
Though Public Health is continuing to investigate a few more
potential cases, none are children who were at the park after June 18th. "We have no
evidence of any exposures other than the ones we've been tracking from June 11-18,"
says Paul Blake, M.D., epidemiologist for the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR).
If your child was at White Water during that time and has not shown symptoms, there is no
cause for concern. The incubation period of one to nine days is over."
DHR Public Health Director Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H.,
reminds parents not to take a sick child to a public pool. "Although proper
chlorination greatly reduces the risk of infection, even the best chlorination system
cannot totally protect against a high concentration of bacteria," she says.
Dirty Public Pool Spreads Deadly E.coli
To Six Small Children
By June Preston (Reuters)
A contaminated paddling pool at a suburban Atlanta water park was
blamed Tuesday for an outbreak of E.coli infection that has hospitalized at least eight
young children in three states. "It appears it was transmitted through
contaminated water,'' Georgia Public Health Director Kathleen Toomey told a news
conference. A child may have been infected and had an accident in the pool.''
Toomey said the outbreak was traced to a recreation park in
Marietta, Georgia, 15 miles north of Atlanta. Four of the hospitalized children suffered
kidney failure, and two remained in critical condition Tuesday. Toomey said five children
hospitalized in Georgia were at the park on June 11 or 12, 1998 as were two children from
Tennessee and one from South Carolina also diagnosed with E.coli infection. A sixth
Georgia case appeared unrelated. She said all of the E.coli cases tied to the park were
among children 6 years old or younger.
One of the children who suffered kidney failure was 3-year-old Brody
Weiss, the son of Atlanta Braves shortstop Walt Weiss. He was in serious condition Tuesday
at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital and was being treated with dialysis, a respirator and
blood transfusions.
Weiss said his son initially appeared to have some kind of bug ``but
blood started showing up in his bowel movements and by Thursday he was just passing pure
blood from his bowels.'' E.coli bacteria are killed by chlorine, and Toomey said experts
believed the pool may not have received adequate chlorine treatment.
She said an incontinent youngster could have spread E.coli bacteria
in the pool. ``It is important to tell your child not to go to the bathroom in a pool,''
Toomey said. ``And more important, if your child has a diarrheal condition, do not take
them to a water park.''
A Confirmed Fatality
A little girl named Michele died as a result of exposure to E. coli
at the recreation park in Marietta, Georgia. In response, the Georgia legislature is
considering a bill to be called "Michele's Law" strengthening the regulations
pertaining to public pools, spas and waterparks.
Pseudomonas
What is Legionnaires' disease?
Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by
Legionella, a bacterium found primarily in warm water environments. Both the disease and
the bacterium were discovered following an outbreak traced to a 1976 American Legion
convention in Philadelphia. Pontiac fever, a flu-like illness, is also caused by
Legionella organisms (legionellae), but is not as serious as Legionnaires' disease. Most
people who get Pontiac fever recover within five days, without having to be hospitalized.
What are the symptoms of Legionnaires' disease?
Legionnaires' disease develops within 2 to 10 days after exposure to
legionellae. Initial symptoms may include loss of energy, headache, nausea, aching
muscles, high fever (often exceeding 104°F), and chest pains. Later, many bodily systems
as well as the mind may be affected. The disease eventually will cause death if the
body’s high fever and antibodies cannot defeat it. Victims who survive may suffer
permanent physical or mental impairment.
Is Legionnaires' disease common?
Legionnaires’ is not rare. It is perceived as rare only because
most cases are never detected, and not all detected cases are reported to public health
authorities. Because underdiagnosis and under-reporting make incidence of the disease
difficult to estimate, figures have varied widely. The (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, has estimated that the disease infects 10,000 to 15,000
persons annually in the United States, but others have estimated as many as 100,000 annual
U.S. cases.
Where Are Legionella Bacteria Found?
The bacteria are found normally in many places in the environment. A
common source is water. Outbreaks have been related to contaminated air-conditioning
cooling towers, NOT window air conditioners. The bacteria also have been found in hot and
cold water taps, showers, whirlpool baths, creeks, ponds and wet soil.
Ways to Combat These Health Risks, Click Below:
Ozone Generating Systems
Chemtrol Automatic Chemical Controllers for Water Environments
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