다음부턴 공공 수영 시설에서 수영을 하러 갈 때는 당신의 입을 다물고 있는게 신상을 위해 좋을 것이다.

질병관리예방센터(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)에 따르면 미국 전역 수영장 중 58%에 이르는 곳이 인간의 배설물에서 발견되는 E. Coli라는 박테리아에 양성으로 반응한 것에 따라, 인간의 배설, 배뇨가 절반 이상의 수영장에 존재하는 것으로 드러났다.

보고서는 더 나아가, 73%의 어린이 풀, 70%의 시립 수영장, 49%의 클럽 회원권 수영장에서 E. Coli가 검출되었다고 발표했다.

Next time you go swimming in a public pool, you might want to keep your mouth closed just to be on the safe side.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that human feces is present in more than half of public swimming pools, as 58 percent of the pool filter samples tested were positive for E. coli, a bacteria normally found in the human gut and feces.

The report further showed that E. coli was found in 73 percent of kiddie pools, 70 percent of municipal pools and 49 percent of club membership pools.

While that news may come as a shock to some, it doesn't surprise Joseph Patterson, the senior public health sanitarian for Oneida County.

“That’s to be expected,” Patterson said. “E. coli is out there … it gets in the pool because it’s on people’s bodies. As long as the pools are designed right and maintained properly, it’s not a problem.”

Patterson said that none of the 55 public pools his five-person team inspects throughout the county is required to test for E. coli unless an incident takes place in the water, but every pool has a safety plan in place.

“Normal levels of chlorine and bromine destroy those types of pathogens very, very rapidly,” Patterson said. “In my 28 years, there has never been a water-born illness outbreak in any of our pools.”

There are many types of E. coli, and most of them are harmless, but some strains can cause gastrointestinal problems, urinary tract infections, anemia and even kidney failure.

In Utica, where the city’s three free municipal pools can each see up to 150 swimmers a day, Youth Bureau Director Sean Brown said his maintenance staff tests chlorine levels three times per day, if not more.

“The water is checked manually and then they regulate the timers on the automated system to adjust the chemical levels accordingly,” Brown said. “We also require everyone to shower at the facility beforehand.”

A similar procedure is in place at the YMCA in Rome, where paid members or guests on day passes can swim in the facility’s lap pool, therapy pool or hot tub, which are all on fully automated filtration and chemical monitoring and disbursement systems.

Randy Hirschey, the YMCA’s vice president of facilities, said while members are not required to shower, they are strongly encouraged to do so, and that warnings about the consequences of not cleaning off before swimming are clearly displayed around the pool.

In the event that the occasional human waste incident does occur, Hirschey said the pool is immediately evacuated and the contaminant is removed. The water is then shocked with chemicals, and depending on the severity of the accident, swimmers are generally allowed to return in about 30 minutes.

“That takes care of it,” Hirschey said. “If you ask me we've gotten too germophobic in this country. People hear about things like this report and overreact.”

The prospect of swimming in contaminated waters didn't appear to deter the dozen or so people enjoying a swim at the Jack Boynton Community Pool in Clinton on Thursday afternoon.

Barbara Lomanto was taking in the sunshine of the 80-degree day while her 9?year-old grandson Adam Schneider splashed about in the main pool.

The Clinton resident said that while she doesn't normally come to public pools, the thought of what could be lurking in the water didn't bother her.

“I guess it’s always in the back of your mind to a certain extent,” Lomanto said. 

“But I’m not worried about it. Maybe if it was in an area I didn't know, I would be more concerned, but I’m sure they are doing the right thing here.”

[출처: UTICAOD / 2013년 6월 20일]