CDC Study Finds Fecal Contamination In 58 Percent Of Pool, Hot Tub Filters

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With a long weekend and summer right around the corner, everyone looking forward to a dip in their favorite pool should first check the safety reports .

A study of public pools done during last summer's swim season found that human feces are frequently introduced into pool water by swimmers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a report published in the agency's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report," the CDC found that 58 percent of the pool filter samples tested were positive for E. coli, bacteria normally found in the human gut and feces. The high percentage of E. coli-positive filters indicates swimmers frequently contaminate pool water when they have a fecal incident in the water or when feces rinse off their bodies because they do not shower thoroughly before getting in the pool, CDC officials said.

"No one should get sick or hurt when visiting a public pool, hot tub, or water playground," Beth Bell, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said in a statement.

E. Coli was not the only bacteria found in pool filters. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause skin rashes and ear infections, was detected in 59 percent of samples, and germs called cryptosporidium and giardia, which are spread through feces and can cause diarrhea, were found in less than 2 percent of samples.

The study included inspection data collected in 2013 from five states with the most public pools and hot tubs – Arizona, California, Florida, New York and Texas. Data was from 84,187 routine inspections of 48,632 public aquatic venues, including pools, hot tubs, water playgrounds and other places where people swim in treated water.

According to the report, most inspections of public aquatic venues identified at least one violation and one in eight inspections prompted an immediate closure because of serious health and safety violation. The worst offenders involved kiddie/wading pools – one out of five were closed after an inspection, the highest proportion of closures among all inspected venues.

Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC's Healthy Swimming Program, says almost one third of local health departments do not regulate, inspect or license public pools, hot tubs and water playgrounds.

"We should all check for inspection results online or on site before using public pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds and do our own inspection before getting into the water," Hlavsa said in a statement.

The report was released in recognition of Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, which begins Monday. For more information and other safe swimming steps, visit www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming.