It’s not just about cloudy water.
Ten years ago the term Recreational Water Illness (RWI) was not even a commonly used term. Based on great pool and spa industry awareness efforts led by the CDC, when you Google the phrase RWI or Recreational Water Illness, you find 785k results. A lot has happened in the last 10 years.
Cryptosporidium (Crypto) outbreaks are still increasing. We finally know how to inactivate Crypto (it’s not easy, but it is possible); by having many pools go to supplemental disinfectants like UV or Ozone to mitigate crypto and other stuff. Filtration aids have emerged as well that help remove crypto from pool water.
Yet, we live in a world that I still ask who the CPO® certification holder is when I visit a public pool, and I check the pool and spa water with test strips before I let my family get in. I have teenagers and they don’t listen to me as often as they should. OK, they rarely listen to me at all, but I hope it’s seeping in there somewhere. THEY even rely on the test strip results.
We live in a world where skin rashes and outer and inner ear infections remain very common from exposure to pool and spa water. Here’s my RWI Prevention Week tips of the year.
- First and foremost, make sure you have the proper disinfectant level and pH everywhere in the pool and spa at all times.
- Second, download and review the “Crypto Tookit Resource” from NSPF.
- Third, be sure you don’t get in the water if you have diarrhea. Shocking that I have to say that but, the fact is, too many people do get in when they are ill and don’t have a clue how ill they can make the rest of us. This includes swimmers, divers, polo players, coaches, lifeguards and aquatic managers. Don’t work around the pool or spa and don’t get in if you are sick. Let’s keep it safer this year.