RWII Prevention Week: How Swimmers Contaminate Pools

May 20 through May 26, 2013, is Recreational Water Illness and Injury (RWII) Prevention Week. Every year thousands of people get sick with recreational water illnesses, which are caused by germs found in places where we swim. The goal of RWII Prevention week is to raise awareness about healthy and safe swimming.

Di- or tri-chloramines form when chlorine in swimming pools combines with what comes out of (e.g., urine) or washes off of (e.g., sweat and personal care products) swimmer’s bodies. Di- and tri-chloramines irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and can even aggravate asthma. The mixing of chlorine with urine not only creates chloramines, it also uses up the chlorine in the pool, which would otherwise kill germs. Chlorine and other pool water treatments do not kill germs instantly. Just one diarrheal incident can release enough germs into the water that swallowing a mouthful can cause diarrhea lasting up to two to three weeks.

Follow these steps to keep yourself and other swimmers from germs:

• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea.

• Shower with soap before you start swimming.

• Take bathroom breaks every 60 minutes.  Take children on bathroom breaks every 60 minutes or check diapers every 30 to 60 minutes. 

  • Change diapers in the bathroom or diaper-changing area and not at poolside where germs can rinse into the water.

• Wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers.

• Don't swallow the water you swim in.

• Check the chlorine and pH levels before getting into the water. Proper chlorine (1-3 mg/L or parts per million [ppm]) and pH (7.2-7.8) levels maximize germ-killing power.

For more information about healthy swimming, visit www.ndhealth.gov/disease/GI/HealthySwimming.aspx.

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