This Is Why I Avoid Public Pools!

I think the ocean is next.

Outbreaks of Pool-Related Diarrhea Rise in U.S.

By Paul Simao

ATLANTA (Reuters) - The number of Americans who got diarrhea from swallowing fecal contaminated water in swimming pools and other recreational facilities rose in the 1990s, partly because many people were continuing to swim while sick, federal health experts said on Thursday.

Although diarrhea is often considered more of a nuisance than a serious illness, it can cause severe dehydration and is especially dangerous to pregnant women, young children and those with weak immune systems.

There were about 10,000 cases and 32 outbreaks of waterborne diarrhea linked to pools, waterparks, spas and other facilities in the United States from 1989 to 1998, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of outbreaks rose to an all-time high of 10 in 1997-1998, the latest period for which data was available, the CDC said. Only one outbreak was reported for the 1989-1990 period.

The Atlanta-based agency said it was surprised to find that about 18 percent of respondents in one state continued to swim while suffering from diarrhea.

``Clearly it is happening and it is happening on a regular basis, so we need to get people to think differently about when they have diarrhea,'' said Michael Beach, an epidemiologist with the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases.

``It is a common illness, but it doesn't mix with swimming,'' said Beach, who noted that one person with diarrhea could contaminate an entire swimming pool for several days.

Most of the recent outbreaks of diarrhea linked to swimming pools were caused by Cryptosporidium, a microscopic chlorine-resistant parasite. Pools become contaminated during fecal accidents, often by young children still in diapers.

The CDC said people should refrain from swimming until two weeks after diarrhea had stopped.

It added that outbreaks could be limited by improved public awareness of diarrhea and changes to swimming pool policies, such as the inclusion of bathroom breaks for kids and separate water filtration systems for ``kiddie'' pools.

Swimming is the second most popular exercise in the United States. Americans make between 360 to 400 million visits to swimming pools each year, especially during the hot summer months. ``We don't want to scare people off swimming, but we want people to swim responsibly,'' Beach said.

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The internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas. - Futurama

 

Absolutely. I don't like McDonald's fries anyway.

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The internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas. - Futurama

[This message has been edited by Jeff (edited May 25, 2001).]

 

Actually, there is only one nutrient in animal flesh that humans require that is difficult (if not impossible) to get from not eating animal by-products: B-12. It is not essential to human life but it can create some problems with iron absorbtion that can lead to anemia.

Because B-12 is a trace mineral, you can get it from any animal by-product - dairy (cheese or milk), for example. You can also get it in a mineral supplement.

B-12 is also found in heavy amounts in farm-rich soil so, if you grow your own tomatoes or potatoes, you will likely get plenty of B-12 just from eating what came from your garden unless you just scrub the hell out of them. Of course, if you use pesticides on them, you probably have to.

Beyond that, every vitamin and mineral nutrient found in animals is plentiful in plant sources. Most are actually healthier in the plant version anyway.

Protein and calcium are great examples. Calcium is found in broccali (sp?) and also in nuts and some beans. Protein is found in heavy amounts in soy beans and also in potatoes. The key difference is that animal protein acts as a calcium inhibitor, preventing the body from absorbing it. So, you could drink a gallon of milk and still not absorb much calcium because the heavy amounts of animal-based proteins in the milk inhibit the body's ability to absorb the calcium.

That's why you so often find protein powders made from soy on the shelves now instead of animal protein.

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The internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas. - Futurama

 

If I'm not working.

And don't concern yourself with the eggplant. I'll just bring some veggie burgers and hot dogs.

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The internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas. - Futurama

 

Those are trichina worms causing trichinosis. It is pretty rare but yet another reason I don't eat meat.

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The internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas. - Futurama

 

Yeah, but those who eat fish also eat fish poop, fish poop, fish poop!

What do you think that brown stuff at the end of your shrimp is???

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The internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas. - Futurama