Paul Cochrane | Beach Related & Recreational Water Illnesses, Pollution & Pathogens @IAQMarketer | Uploaded July 2018 | Updated October 2024, 4 hours ago.
Millions of people enjoy spending time at the beach each year. For many, it means engaging in water–related activities, such as swimming. In most circumstances, these beach-goers leave with nothing more than great memories; however, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, “Swimming at beaches with pollution in the water or in the sand can make you ill.”
Some of the sources of this pollution listed by the EPA include:
• Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
• Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs)
• Stormwater
• Trash and Litter
• Fertilizers
• Pesticides
• Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs)
• Boat Discharges
The agency also states that children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely populations to develop illnesses or infections after coming into contact with polluted water, usually while swimming. A swimmer can be exposed to waterborne pathogens when they swallow the water, but for some, getting an infection can happen by simply getting polluted water on their skin, in their eyes or in an open wound that is exposed to polluted water.
Fortunately, while swimming-related illnesses are unpleasant, they are usually not very serious. The EPA reports that the most common illness associated with swimming in water polluted by sewage is gastroenteritis. It occurs in a variety of forms that can have one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, diarrhea, headache or fever. Other minor illnesses associated with swimming include ear, eye, nose and throat infections, as well as rashes. In highly polluted water, swimmers may occasionally be exposed to more serious diseases.
While not all of these are associated with beaches, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the top 10 causes of recreational water illnesses (RWIs) based on data compiled from 1978 through 2010. Ordered from highest to lowest frequency, they include:
1. Cryptosporidium
2. Pseudomonas
3. Shigella
4. Legionella
5. Norovirus
6. E. coli
7. Giardia
8. Disinfection Agents & Byproducts (chlorine, bromine, hydrochloric acid)
9. Avian Schistosomes
10. Leptospira
These are just a few things to know beach related and recreational water illnesses, pollution and pathogens that could be encountered at the beach or in other waters. To learn more about this or other aquatic, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
Millions of people enjoy spending time at the beach each year. For many, it means engaging in water–related activities, such as swimming. In most circumstances, these beach-goers leave with nothing more than great memories; however, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, “Swimming at beaches with pollution in the water or in the sand can make you ill.”
Some of the sources of this pollution listed by the EPA include:
• Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
• Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs)
• Stormwater
• Trash and Litter
• Fertilizers
• Pesticides
• Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs)
• Boat Discharges
The agency also states that children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely populations to develop illnesses or infections after coming into contact with polluted water, usually while swimming. A swimmer can be exposed to waterborne pathogens when they swallow the water, but for some, getting an infection can happen by simply getting polluted water on their skin, in their eyes or in an open wound that is exposed to polluted water.
Fortunately, while swimming-related illnesses are unpleasant, they are usually not very serious. The EPA reports that the most common illness associated with swimming in water polluted by sewage is gastroenteritis. It occurs in a variety of forms that can have one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, diarrhea, headache or fever. Other minor illnesses associated with swimming include ear, eye, nose and throat infections, as well as rashes. In highly polluted water, swimmers may occasionally be exposed to more serious diseases.
While not all of these are associated with beaches, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the top 10 causes of recreational water illnesses (RWIs) based on data compiled from 1978 through 2010. Ordered from highest to lowest frequency, they include:
1. Cryptosporidium
2. Pseudomonas
3. Shigella
4. Legionella
5. Norovirus
6. E. coli
7. Giardia
8. Disinfection Agents & Byproducts (chlorine, bromine, hydrochloric acid)
9. Avian Schistosomes
10. Leptospira
These are just a few things to know beach related and recreational water illnesses, pollution and pathogens that could be encountered at the beach or in other waters. To learn more about this or other aquatic, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
