Table of contents:
- Various sources of disease found in swimming pool water
- The dangers of swallowing swimming pool water
- 1. Chlorine poisoning
- 2. Diarrhea
When you swim, the pool water will flow into the mouth opening so that you swallow the dirt, bacteria, and parasites in it. Swallowing small amounts of pool water may not have any impact on your health, but what if you swallow large amounts or frequently? This could lead to health problems that you are not aware of.
Various sources of disease found in swimming pool water
One of the main sources of disease in swimming pool water comes from urine. In fact, not a few people urinate while swimming. A number of studies summarized on the WebMD page have even found that no swimming pool is completely clean from urine contamination.
Swimming pool water also contains various kinds of disease-causing bacteria, among them Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella . Infection Pseudomonas on the skin it can cause a rash, itching, and pus-filled blisters. Meanwhile, Legionella can cause a respiratory tract infection called legionellosis. In fact, there are also several types of bacteria that can cause ear infections in swimmers.
Indeed, chlorine or chlorine is used so that swimming pools are clean from bacteria. However, chlorine can form toxic compounds when mixed with urine and sweat, and can cause poisoning if ingested. In addition, chlorine also does not work against parasites cryptosporidium which can cause diarrhea.
The dangers of swallowing swimming pool water
Although not always the case, it carries the risk of having a number of health effects.
1. Chlorine poisoning
Chlorine is a chemical commonly used to prevent bacterial growth in drinking water, swimming pools and factory waste. In addition, some household cleaning products also use this compound as an active ingredient.
Most cases of chlorine poisoning usually occur when someone accidentally swallows cleaning products containing chlorine. However, swallowing large amounts of swimming pool water can also be dangerous and cause symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, burning in the mouth, pain in the esophagus and stomach, to vomiting.
Seek immediate medical attention if your child develops any of these symptoms while playing in the pool. You can provide drinking water or milk if possible, but do not force him to regurgitate swallowed pool water unless medical personnel advise him to.
2. Diarrhea
Although regularly cleaned, swimming pools are not completely free from disease-causing bacteria. Other types of contaminants that are most abundant in swimming pools are feces, and feces contain lots of bacteria E. coli . When you swallow pool water, bacteria E. coli can be swallowed and then carried to the digestive tract.
Diarrhea disease can also be caused by parasites cryptosporidium who roam freely in the pool water. This parasite is a serious threat to swimming pool users, especially children and people with impaired immune systems.
Swallowing swimming pool water can cause various health problems, regardless of how much or how little is ingested. To prevent this, always follow proper procedures when you are swimming and supervise your children when they play in the pool.
