Category: Health
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How to better protect your skin when swimming outside
Summer Sanders, an accomplished U.S. swimmer and Olympic gold medalist turned television host, was recently diagnosed with stage I melanoma. Summer has no family history of skin cancer and always tanned easily, so she rarely applied sunscreen while swimming outdoors.
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CDC report: Cryptosporidium outbreaks on the rise
Cryptosporidium outbreaks have increased in pools and lakes in the United States, according to a new Centers for Disease Control report released Thursday. The report found 77 percent of the outbreaks recorded occurred in pools, and of these 52 percent were attributed to Cryptosporidium parvum.
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12 steps to keeping your facility safe from RWIs
Recreational Water Illnesses cause pools to shut every year, and some even result in multi-million dollar lawsuits. Here is the CDC’s advice for combating RWIs at your pool.
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Eight water saving tips for pool owners
As a pool owner, do you worry about water loss for financial and/or environmental reasons? This blog post will show you how to save water to save you money and help our environment.
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Five facts about pool inspections for commercial pool operators
Aquatics professionals have an important and challenging job. A single issue during a pool inspection could cause the pool to be shut down. The National Association of County and City Health Officials aims to provide guidance to pool operators in a new report on pool inspections, “Seeing eye to eye with health inspectors: A report on…
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Three facts about chloramines you may not know
What if I told you that it is not actually chlorine that causes eye, skin and respiratory irritation? The irritation comes from disinfection byproducts called chloramines. How chloramines are formed Chloramines are formed by the reaction of chlorine with organic substances like body oils, urine, and sweat. This is why many pools require bathers to…
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Study: Caregivers unaware of Cryptosporidium risk in pools
Many caregivers are unaware of the risks of Cryptosporidium, a chlorine-resistant parasite found in pools. Considered a Recreational Water Illness (RWI), Cryptosporidium has increased 300 percent in the last 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Even with this increase in prevalence, a new study by Nielsen found caregivers lack knowledge about RWIs…
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Why asthma and allergy sufferers should avoid chlorine pools
As spring gets into full swing, allergies and asthma can become exasperated. While swimming is a therapeutic exercise for people with both conditions, if the pool has high levels of chlorine the benefits of swimming might be negated. Asthma and DBPs When chlorine interacts with contaminants in the pool, it creates disinfection byproducts that can…
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Peeing in the pool isn’t as harmless as you might think
One in every five people pee in the pool, and one hundred percent of competitive swimmers pee in the pool. Urine itself isn’t so bad, however, when urine (uric acid) reacts with the chlorine in the pool it creates disinfection byproducts (DBPs).