Many may ask themselves whether they should be swimming in natural waters versus swimming in a swimming pool. This question is particularly important as we are heading towards the next summer season.
With denser populations there is more river, lake and sea pollution as raw sewage is discharged into many of these waterways. A review article from CNN described the situation in detail.
Swimming in the wild environment
Swimming outdoors is a nice way to enjoy a sunny day. You feel the sun on your skin, swim and enjoy the greenery around you. At the end of the day you feel a sense of well-being from the release of endorphins. The composition of wild waters like rivers, lakes and the sea are constantly changing. They may contain toxins from nearby industrial areas and farms. Animals may have defecated into the water or sewage from nearby cow pastures may leak into it. If you see pipes draining into a lake, trust your instinct and stay away from it. Rats living in sewers adjacent to fresh water rivers or lakes carry urine with the bacterial pathogen Leptospira. This bacterium causes Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease).
Other bugs that can be in natural waters
There can be many other bugs in contaminated water, such as E. coli and Norovirus. Even hepatitis A and B may be in your natural water body, if sewage made its way into it. One particular danger comes from blue-green algae bloom in the summer. It releases a toxin that is harmful to humans and can be lethal to pets. The toxin can cause skin rashes, eye irritation, fever, severe gastrointestinal upsets, muscle and joint pains. Where municipalities monitor water quality in lakes, warnings will be posted, but remote lakes and beaches often do not have any warning signs.
Water quality of swimming pools
Managed swimming pools have enough chemicals in them to keep the bacterial count at a reasonably safe level. Even when somebody who has a urinary tract infection swims in it, this will be neutralized by the iodine concentration within a short time. Many pools also post signs to the users to not enter a pool, if they have an acute infection or a stomach flu. Obviously there is no danger of no jellyfish stings and no shark bites in swimming pools. There are also no dangerous currents that could suck you out into the open ocean. As a rule of thumb: if the water in the pool looks clear, it is safe to go in. If it is turbid, do not enter. The turbidity is due to large amounts of bacteria in the water. It means that the chemicals are out of balance with too little chlorine in the water.
Swimming in Natural Waters versus Swimming in a Swimming Pool
Conclusion
Although it is enticing to swim in wild waters, there are real dangers compared to swimming in a swimming pool. Wild water may contain toxins from nearby industrial areas and farms. Animals may have defecated into the water or sewage from nearby cow pastures may leak into it. Rats living in sewers adjacent to fresh water rivers or lakes carry urine with the bacterial pathogen Leptospira. This bacterium causes Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease), which can make you sick.
More dangers in natural water bodies
E. coli, Norovirus, hepatitis A and B may be in your natural water body, if sewage made its way into it. One particular danger comes from blue-green algae bloom in the summer. It releases a toxin that is harmful to humans and can be lethal to pets. Overall it is much safer to swim in a managed swimming pool where the pool maintenance team controls the chemical concentration to make it a safe environment for swimming and relaxing.
