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T O P I C R E V I E W |
Warmskin |
Posted - 07/10/2018 : 02:22:30 AM I ran across this article, and perhaps wish I had not. Any comments. Maybe NaturistDoc might have something to say. https://www.popsci.com/pool-germs
I have next to no expertise in swimming pool bio-hazards.
“I rise early almost every morning and sit in my chamber, without any clothes whatever, half an hour or an hour, according to the season, either reading or writing.” Ben Franklin
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12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
NaturistDoc |
Posted - 07/28/2018 : 5:45:57 PM For the hard-core worriers, there are commercially available test kits which claim to detect the presence of coliform (E. coli and related bugs). Some also claim to detect Pseudomonas, Shigella, etc, None test for Cryptosporidium.
There are two types of test kits. First are the relatively cheap 'n' easy test strips which test for the presence of #946;-galactosidase, a bacterial enzyme. They offer results in 15-20 minutes, but online reviews suggest that either their quality control is not great or (more likely, IMO) results are very operator-dependent. As always, read the instructions and caveat emptor. The other type is probably more accurate, since it actually cultures the bacteria (if any) in growth media similar to what would be used in a hospital lab. The downside is that it takes 24-48 hours to get results.
My take on these tests is that they are best regarded as screening tests to check on the overall effectiveness of whatever disinfectant method you're using, rather than as a test for a particular pathogen. For example, a positive test may not mean there are high levels of pathogens present, but it does suggest that you might want to ramp up your disinfectant. Similarly, a negative result indicates that your disinfectant is working reasonably well, but it does not mean that the water in your pool/spa is sterile.
Do I recommend these tests? Well ... not really, unless you've got reason to think there's a problem. I'm a bit of a fanatic about keeping my own spa shipshape, and we use common sense along the lines of Warmskin's post. These tests might make sense for home use, but I doubt many of us would go through the hassle of testing the pools and spas at resorts. |
Warmskin |
Posted - 07/24/2018 : 9:21:13 PM By habit, I shower before and after using a nudist resort swimming pool,or hot/warm tub. I want to be clean when I enter a pool, and and wash off whatever is on my skin after I get out. I can't control any other facets of using pools.
“I rise early almost every morning and sit in my chamber, without any clothes whatever, half an hour or an hour, according to the season, either reading or writing.” Ben Franklin
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jbsnc |
Posted - 07/19/2018 : 11:00:47 AM I am far from knowledgeable on this subject, but: years back everyone was required to walk through a foot bath at LA area public swimming pools. Foot 'diseases' were common. That requirement was dropped and the incident of that disease dropped like a rock. I've swum in creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, dams, and oceans without any such problems I can recall. Big problem for this wimp was the Pacific Ocean temperature which was never higher than the 60s.
Happy Nuding. |
Jimmie2 |
Posted - 07/19/2018 : 06:08:24 AM Good info since we will be heading to Cypress Cove in a week for Parrot Head Weekend! That pool is most likely over capacity all weekend, but is always clean "looking"!
HNATDT |
FireProf |
Posted - 07/19/2018 : 02:54:47 AM Always good to have a Doctor in the House!
Loves being naked. Plays well with others! |
NaturistDoc |
Posted - 07/18/2018 : 9:34:12 PM More bad news/good news. The dreaded "hot tub rash/dermatitis/folliculitis", caused by the nearly ubiquitous bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is an annoying but non-life=threatening condition most often contracted and spread when the number of bodies in the hot tub overwhelms the capacity of the disinfectant agent. Note: You usually don't catch hot tub rash from someone else. The bug is almost certainly already present (in low numbers) in most hot tubs ... even yours! Inadequate levels of disinfectant, however, allow the Pseudomonas to overgrow, greatly increasing the likelihood of infections. I ALWAYS shower after I've been in a crowded hot tub.
The good news is that, like pool infections, hot tub rash is somewhat more of a problem for children than adults. In addition - you'll love this! - according to the Dermatology Advisor website, "Areas of the skin covered by bathing suits are more prone to develop the rash." There you have it: conclusive proof that bathing suits are evil! The rash usually goes away on its own in a week or so, but can be treated with topical Polymixin B if necessary. |
FireProf |
Posted - 07/18/2018 : 10:54:00 AM Thanks Doc! The Prof has always had issues with club and resort hot tubs and I had her read your post. She feels better about joining me and our friends in the future.
Loves being naked. Plays well with others! |
calgarymark |
Posted - 07/17/2018 : 6:00:31 PM Thanks for the reassurance, NDoc. Certainly the outdoor pool at Cypress Cove in February was busier than my condo pool at home, and it looked a lot cleaner too!
Many years ago I invited my parents to join my wife and me in the pool at Takhini Hot Springs in the Yukon. It was always well operated and maintained, had a continuous change of water from the hot spring and I had heard no 'bad reports' about it (in the 1980s). My Dad (a then retired chest physician in England) proceeded to tell me about an experiment he had seen illustrated on a TV programme. Participants were given a small swipe on the nostrils of some chemical which fluoresced under UV light, simulating a common cold. They then went about 'life', opening doors, handling cutlery, papers, and so on. other people in the 'community' then touched what the 'infected' people had touched. The people conducting the study then followed around where they and the other 'uninvolved' participants had been, touched things and the fluorescent light showed up vividly where the 'infection' had spread. It was widespread! He did not get in the pool, but my mother did!
CalgaryMark Growing old is mandatory, Growing up is optional. Laughing at yourself is therapeutic. |
NaturistDoc |
Posted - 07/17/2018 : 3:05:37 PM While Bill and Daretobare make valid points, I don't agree that "the fear of microorganisms is mostly unwarranted". It is true that the vast majority of bacteria on and in the human body are benign actors, but there is nothing paranoid or hysterical about wishing to limit one's exposure to pathogenic bacteria. To address Bill's third paragraph, I'd point out that using good basic hygiene, while certainly laudable, in no way protects you from other people who DON'T. And I daresay most of us have seen many, many people enter pools and hot tubs with bone-dry (i.e., unshowered) skin. And how are we to know if a pool has been "properly maintained"? Let's face it: people are lazy and filthy, and when you throw a bunch of them together, germs get passed around. Fortunately our immune systems are generally up to the challenge, but the CDC data clearly shows that the germs sometimes gain the advantage. True, eight deaths in 15 years isn't exactly cause for panic, but Legionella and Cryptosporidium are nasty bugs that can make you mighty sick.
But here's some GOOD NEWS. A careful reading of the CDC report cited by PopSci - and some other material on the CDC website and elsewhere in the medical literature - reveals that a large portion of pool- and spa-linked disease outbreaks are associated with the presence of small children. (I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out why that might be. Ick.) And small children are typically not very numerous at nudist resorts, which suggests that the pools at OUR resorts might be quite a bit less risky than a municipal pool full of grubby kids. Also, according to some AANR survey data from a while back visitors to nudist resorts tend to be of above-average socio-economic status (not to mention intelligence and good looks!), which, at the risk of sounding snobbish, is associated with better overall health and hygiene.
So for me, the take-home lesson is that your chances of catching some awful disease at a reputable nudist resort are very low ... at least in the pool!
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Daretobare |
Posted - 07/11/2018 : 05:12:00 AM I agree with Bill. This media play on germs is way out of hand. People are so much sterilizing themselves anymore that their bodies cant fight off anything they may catch |
Bill Bowser |
Posted - 07/10/2018 : 1:26:11 PM This is yet another example of the mainstream media’s endless list of disasters which will confront you. As the general safety of society increases people tend to focus their attention on smaller, less probable risks to their health and safety.
The fear of microorganisms is mostly unwarranted. Living on and inside the average human body are approximately 100,000,000,000,000 (one hundred trillion) little critters. Everything in our environment teams with bacteria, viruses, and who knows what else. Only the most minute percentage of them are hazardous to our health.
This doesn’t mean that one should ignore basic hygiene, such as hand washing before eating, but a properly maintained swimming pool is not something that anyone ought to worry about. Of course if you don’t have anything better to do than worry about such things, have at it, knock yourself out.
Bill Bowser - Cincinnati Not lewd, not crude, just nude.
Nudists are everywhere, but they're hard to identify with their clothes on. |
calgarymark |
Posted - 07/10/2018 : 1:15:45 PM I agree with all the author says; the only infection I received recently (1995) came from a hotel hot tub. When I was in high school (~60 years ago) our indoor pool was heavily used and heavily chlorinated - I had so many sinus infections the wise decision was made to keep me out of the pool . Our condominium pool is well managed but often closed for de-contamination because the users (obviously, textilists) don't shower before swimming .
The naturist code of behaviour (shower with shoap before shwimming and don't wear fabric that traps the nasties in the clothing) is a very wise precaution. The outdoor pools at many resorts also benefit from sunlight which helps destroy pathogens.
Even swimming in lakes and the sea can be fraught with danger for naturists (and especially textilists) because of the non-naturist way we treat our water bodies and waterways .
CalgaryMark Growing old is mandatory, Growing up is optional. Laughing at yourself is therapeutic. |
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