CDC Says 58% of Public Pools Contain Poop

It's that time of year again when many of us will be enjoying swimming pools, some of them public. But maybe you want to read a recent Centers for Disease Control report that says that more than half of public pools are basically toilets. In fact, more than half of public pools that the CDC tested contained E. Coli, the bacteria most commonly associated with fecal matter.

For the current study, the CDC took samples of pool water from filters from 161 public swimming pools. Of those samples, 58% showed signs of E. Coli. Although the researchers could not say with complete certainty that the bacteria was from human waste, they argue that it nevertheless "signifies that swimmers introduced fecal matter into the water".

So who is to blame for bringing the poop into the pool? For one, babies and other children that aren't yet potty trained can easily bring fecal matter into the pool. However, adults are also to blame; many adults fail to adequately shower before entering the pool (that means with SOAP and WATER). Just in case you think it's okay to pee in the pool (no harm, no foul, right?) the CDC's report also says that additional contaminants like human sweat and urine make it harder for chlorine to do its job on the poop traces. So we can assume that public pools are pretty gross, but they probably aren't hazardous to our health since the CDC has yet to conclude that any illnesses were related to pools.