Personal Injury Law

Salt Lake Tribune Says Diapers and Pool Waters Do Not Mix

Utah health officials like Lewis Garrett who want to ban diaper-wearing tots from pools now have the backing of the editorial page at the Salt Lake Tribune.   The editorial writers really got into the subject:

"Don't take this the wrong way. We love babies. Lov'em, lov'em, lov'em. And we don't want to spoil their fun. But until Mommy and Daddy teach them to go potty, their dirty little bottoms should be banned from public swimming pools. 

"Kids in diapers can turn swimming pools into cesspools. And it's more than just gross. Babies and toddlers in water, while a source of boundless joy and lots of laughs for parents and siblings, are also the cause of countless cases of cryptosporidiosis, a disease named for a nasty little parasite that lives in feces. Humans generally ingest the parasite while swimming in contaminated lakes and streams, then pass it along when they visit a public pool.

"Last summer, Utah experienced a serious outbreak of the disease, which causes severe diarrhea. Public health officials said 88 percent of the cases were linked to recreational swimming. Babies and toddlers in swim diapers - those colorful pseudo-suits that claim to be leak proof but aren't - rightly bore the brunt of the blame.

"Nobody died, but thousands of residents spent a lot of time on the toilet, and dozens were hospitalized. State health officials logged 1,963 crypto cases in 2007, up from 14 in an average year. And, because studies show that most cases go undiagnosed and unreported, the outbreak was probably even worse. "

Tribune editorial writers noted that the Centers for Disease Control have warned that crypto will be back next summer and that the Utah Health Board is getting ready with the diaper ban.

The Tribune lets its readers comment on line and many did so and most were supportive.  Some are wondering, however, if health officials are  looking the right place.

Two examples:

  I personally wonder if the real cause might not be found in the chemical suppliers for the pool industry. I doubt the pool staffs were doing anything different in how they treated the pools. Mothers certainly weren't doing anything different, yet suddenly crypto cases skyrocket? IMO a more likely cause is the chemical suppliers decided to reformulate to save money, but didn't bother to tell anyone else. --dwildren

I find it interesting that most of the time, poop is found in the area where the bigger (toilet trained) kids are playing. I've taken lots of babies to the pool and never had them #2 in their swim diapers. I think it's bigger kids who don't want to leave the fun and head to the toilet. That being said, I have no problem with the ban if it might help. At least it could rule out one possibility. Personally, I plan on saving for a pool in my backyard. - sofia

At this point, we'd bet the diapers are going down in Utah.  We'll watch to see  if there is a  counteroffensive.

   

 

Full post as published by Cryptosporidium Blog on January 05, 2008 (boomark / email).