EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
KID
QUIPS
During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
Health: In Shape
|
||||
|
Contaminated water makes getting wet a danger The area’s warm climate finds Southern Californians flocking to the beach year-round, but why is it that so many people are sick the day after? As many as 1.5 million surfers and swimmers in Orange County and Los Angeles waters become ill each year from bacterial pollution, a recent study says. The warnings on all those storm drains about stuff going into the ocean doesn’t keep bad things from finding their way downstream. Garden and pet affluent, fluids from cars, and other nasty stuff make their way to the sea. Gastroentenitis, the most common illness of exposure to contaminated waters, causes symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. But, the sickened beachgoers are not the only ones to suffer. The study finds that between 627,800 and 1,479,200 additional gastrointestinal illnesses occur each year, on top of those already expected. These additional health problems translate into a significant economic loss of anywhere from $21-$414 million, depending on health costs. Students miss school; parents miss work. If we could get it clean An extensive study of 28 beaches spanning nearly 100 miles of coastline shows that improving water quality would not only reduce the number of bacterial illness, but also save the state millions of dollars in healthcare costs. Researchers identified poor water quality in beaches with a level of enterococci bacteria – a subgroup of the fecal streptococci that determines the extent of fecal contamination of recreational surface waters – above California state law. Doheny, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Cabrillo and Las Tunas beaches had the worst water quality, exceeding the bacterial limit more than 33% of the time. Newport, Hermosa, Abalone Cove, Manhattan, Torrance and Bolsa Chica had the best water quality. The beaches with the lowest excess gastrointestinal illness were San Clemente State and Nicholas Canyon. Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization, offers online Beach Report Cards that detail the water quality at more than 460 California beaches. Information is free and updated every Friday. Call 800.HEAL.BAY or visit healthebay.org. Parents often peruse this site before making a day of it. “The Beach Report Card tries to give parents a bit of information to be prepared about going to the beach,” says James Alamillo, Beach Report Card manager for Heal the Bay. Water quality has been improving over the last 10 years, says Alamillo, but he still recommends that parents routinely check water quality. He offers this advice to all those planning to head to the beach: Be informed; stay away from storm drains or streams where most bacteria reside; and take proper hygiene precautions after playing in the water or sand. Lots of at-risk guests Around 80 million visitors frequent the surveyed beaches each year, the study found. If the public begins to associate the beach with sickness, it could result in a tremendous loss of local revenue and recreational benefit to swimmers and surfers. Too often, the relationship between illness and a recent beach visit are not connected. The study, “Regional Public Health Cost Estimates of Contaminated Coastal Waters: A Case Study of Gastroenteritis at Southern California Beaches,” by UCLA and Stanford researchers, is posted online at stanford.edu/~aboehm/es060679s.pdf.m Alyssa Urish was an intern at Churm Publishing, Inc. this summer. Prevention tips Gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the intestinal track, is the most common sickness related to exposure to contaminated waters. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting and may last anywhere from two to three days. The illness itself usually manifests anywhere from 24 to 36 hours after exposure. “The most important thing is to maintain the child’s fluid intake, particularly in hot weather,” says Dr. David Lang of CHOC Hospital. “The danger in most gastrointestinal illness is if the children become dehydrated.” If your child is vomiting and cannot hold fluids down, call your physician, or go to the emergency room if you think your child might be dehydrated, says Lang. Lang offers three tips to have a safe day at the beach: 1. Check the status of the beach with the health department or in a newspaper or online. 2. Make sure children have good fluid intake prior to arriving at the beach. 3. Shower after a beach visit; wash hands. And, as OC Family Magazine always suggests, put on sunscreen (SPF 30) a good 15 minutes before the beach visit and reapply every two hours or after lots of water time. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
