CDC says taking a dip in your local poolcould be refreshing – but risky

Nearly 8 in 10 routine inspections of public pools turned up at least one violation of safety rules, according to a new

report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

With summer on the horizon, there's nothing like a dip in the local pool. But the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would like to remind swimmers to stay safe. The

federal agency says that at many public pools, people might encounter bits of fecal matter,

parasites like Cryptosporidium and dangerous chemicals that can irritate the eyes or

respiratory tract.

A report published Thursday warns that nearly 8 in 10 routine inspections of public pools

found at least one safety violation. In addition, about 1 in 8 of these inspections found

problems so serious that the pool had to be closed immediately.

These disheartening numbers are based on 84,187 routine inspections of 48,632 public

pools and other "aquatic venues" in Arizona, California, Florida, New York and Texas.

These states are home to 40 percent of the nation's public water play facilities.

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.31.16

Word Count 698

CDC Started Keeping Closer Tabs On Pools In 2013

In 2013, the CDC created the Network for Aquatic Facility Inspection and Surveillance to

keep tabs on the safety of public pools. In the preceding 35 years, 650 outbreaks starting

in public pools were reported to the CDC. The largest of these happened at an indoor

water park in Ohio in 2007, when chlorine mixed with sweat and urine in pool water to

create chemicals called chloramines. Local health authorities tallied 665 cases of eye and

respiratory tract problems among visitors and lifeguards.

None of this is to say that Americans should stay away from public pools. On the contrary,

swimming and other “water-based physical activity improves physical and mental health,”

wrote Michele C. Hlavsa and her partners at the CDC. What's more, they added, water-

based exercise might be the only option for people with certain medical conditions.

Besides, swimming is a hugely popular pastime in this country. According to the Census

Bureau, more than 50 million Americans over the age of 6 went swimming at least six times

a year. And public pools are everywhere, from water parks and hotels to apartment

buildings and fitness clubs. If these pools aren't safe, a lot of people could suffer the

consequences.

Most Pools Had At Least One Violation

This is what prompted the CDC, along with the New York State Department of Health, to

develop the Model Aquatic Health Code. Hlavsa and her co-authors set out to test how

well the nation’s five biggest public pool states were measuring up to the code.

Here’s some of what they found:

—79 percent of routine inspections turned up at least one code violation.

—The number of violations per inspection ranged from 0 to 21; the median, or middle,

number of violations was 2.

—12 percent of routine inspections found a violation that resulted in the immediate closure

of the facility.

—Among the most common violations were problems with a pool’s pH level, safety

equipment and concentration of disinfectants.

The nearly 50,000 pools included in the analysis aren’t necessarily a representative sample

of public pools throughout the country. That means the results reported by the CDC don't

apply to all states or venues, the study authors cautioned. Even among the five pool-heavy

states that participated in the study, some counties shared more inspection records than

others.

Report Makes It Clear Pools Need To Improve

Despite these limitations, the report findings "underscore the need to improve ... U.S.

public aquatic facilities to prevent illness and injury," the study authors concluded.

And that's just for the pools that got inspections. According to the CDC report, currently

"only 68 percent of U.S. local public health agencies regulate, inspect or license public

aquatic facilities.”

So what's a swimmer to do? The CDC’s advice is to visit a pool supply or hardware store

and stock up on test strips that can measure the pH and disinfectants in the water. The pH

level measures the acidity of the water, and a healthy pool has a pH between 7.2 and

7.8. The concentration of chlorine should be at least 1 part per million (ppm) in regular

pool water and at least 3 ppm in a hot tub. For bromine, the concentration in pool water

should be at least 3 ppm, and at least 4 ppm in a hot tub.

Quiz

1 Read the last paragraph of the section "Most Pools Had At Least One Violation."

The nearly 50,000 pools included in the analysis aren’t necessarily a

representative sample of public pools throughout the country. That

means the results reported by the CDC don't apply to all states or

venues, the study authors cautioned. Even among the five pool-heavy

states that participated in the study, some counties shared more

inspection records than others.

Which of the following can be inferred from the selection above?

(A) The CDC wants to increase the range of its study to include more pools.

(B) The CDC believes that counties should be more open about their inspection

records.

(C) The CDC does not intend to suggest that all public pools are unsafe.

(D) The CDC wants people to be aware of the huge number of health code

violations.

2 Which idea is BEST supported by the data provided in the section "Most Pools Had At Least

One Violation"?

(A) Not all public pools are as unhealthy as those analyzed in the study.

(B) Public pools are resistant to changing their standards to meet health code

requirements.

(C) The Model Aquatic Health Code's findings suggest that there is a major

need for improvement.

(D) Public pools should make their inspection records more available to the

public and the government.

3 Which option provides an accurate and objective summary of the article?

(A) A report published by the CDC warns people about parasites, chemicals

and fecal matter that are common in pools. However, people continue to

need public pools so they can exercise.

(B) Findings from the CDC show that nearly 80% of public pools have at least

one health code violation. Given the benefits and popularity of swimming,

pools have to improve their facilities.

(C) The CDC looked into safety records at public pools after an outbreak at a

water park in Ohio. It caused 665 cases of health problems for those

exposed to the water.

(D) Public pools in five states were inspected for health code problems.

Researchers think that swimmers should get test strips so they can measure

the pH of pools prior to swimming.

4 Which of the following sentences from the article BEST develops the idea that pools need to

improve?

(A) In the preceding 35 years, 650 outbreaks starting in public pools were

reported to the CDC.

(B) According to the Census Bureau, more than 50 million Americans over the

age of 6 went swimming at least six times a year.

(C) Even among the five pool-heavy states that participated in the study, some

counties shared more inspection records than others.

(D) The CDC’s advice is to visit a pool supply or hardware store and stock up on

test strips that can measure the pH and disinfectants in the water.

Answer Key

1 Read the last paragraph of the section "Most Pools Had At Least One Violation."

The nearly 50,000 pools included in the analysis aren’t necessarily a

representative sample of public pools throughout the country. That

means the results reported by the CDC don't apply to all states or

venues, the study authors cautioned. Even among the five pool-heavy

states that participated in the study, some counties shared more

inspection records than others.

Which of the following can be inferred from the selection above?

(A) The CDC wants to increase the range of its study to include more pools.

(B) The CDC believes that counties should be more open about their inspection

records.

(C) The CDC does not intend to suggest that all public pools are unsafe.

(D) The CDC wants people to be aware of the huge number of health code

violations.

2 Which idea is BEST supported by the data provided in the section "Most Pools Had At Least

One Violation"?

(A) Not all public pools are as unhealthy as those analyzed in the study.

(B) Public pools are resistant to changing their standards to meet health code

requirements.

(C) The Model Aquatic Health Code's findings suggest that there is a major

need for improvement.

(D) Public pools should make their inspection records more available to the

public and the government.

3 Which option provides an accurate and objective summary of the article?

(A) A report published by the CDC warns people about parasites, chemicals

and fecal matter that are common in pools. However, people continue to

need public pools so they can exercise.

(B) Findings from the CDC show that nearly 80% of public pools have at

least one health code violation. Given the benefits and popularity of

swimming, pools have to improve their facilities.

(C) The CDC looked into safety records at public pools after an outbreak at a

water park in Ohio. It caused 665 cases of health problems for those

exposed to the water.

(D) Public pools in five states were inspected for health code problems.

Researchers think that swimmers should get test strips so they can measure

the pH of pools prior to swimming.

4 Which of the following sentences from the article BEST develops the idea that pools need to

improve?

(A) In the preceding 35 years, 650 outbreaks starting in public pools were

reported to the CDC.

(B) According to the Census Bureau, more than 50 million Americans over the

age of 6 went swimming at least six times a year.

(C) Even among the five pool-heavy states that participated in the study, some

counties shared more inspection records than others.

(D) The CDC’s advice is to visit a pool supply or hardware store and stock up on

test strips that can measure the pH and disinfectants in the water.