Exploring water safety
by Brian Szaks
Creating Fun and Risks
Along with adding liquid appeal, you are also adding the possibility of having your guests come in contact with many dangers. Your first aid department may have its fair share of slips and falls, your safety department may have lifeguards if the attraction warrants it, but your maintenance department also has things to worry about. One of these worries being your water quality involving Cryptosporidiosis.
What is Cryptosporidiosis (Crypto)? It is a condition caused by the ingestion of Cryptosporidium parvum, a parasite that is transferred by swallowing water that has been contaminated by feces from a human or animal. This pathogen can harbor in liquids such as drinking water, lakes, ponds, and pools, and can live for days. Discovered in 1976, Crypto is a major concern of aquatic facilities worldwide. In fact, it is one of the top concerns of the Center for Disease and Control when it comes to RWI, or Recreational Water Illnesses.
After contamination, the body starts to show symptoms of infection within a few days. These may include watery diarrhea, headache, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever. Symptoms may lead to weight loss and dehydration.
In a healthy person, the symptoms will pass after a few weeks, but in a person affected with immune deficiency, contact with this parasite may be deadly. They are more at risk for prolonged and severe symptoms. You and your staff are at risk as well.
Preventing Panic
First the bad news. There is no way to fully prevent your guests or staff from becoming infected with Crypto. No amount of chlorine, other chemicals, or heavy filtration can kill the pathogen and the only treatment is to let the symptoms ride their course.
So what can you and your staff do? Education is currently the best venue. Here are some tips:
- Avoid water that has been contaminated with Crypto.
- Do not swallow recreational water.
- When cleaning fecal matter, always use gloves and any other required Personal Protective Equipment. This includes human or animal fecal matter. Birds and bird droppings may also carry Crypto.
- Educate your Community Relations and Guest Relations departments on the possibilities of guests coming in contact with the parasite. They may have to deal with future correspondences.
- Frequently washing your hands can prevent you from transferring the parasite from your hands to your food before you eat. Educating your water safety staff on showering and cleansing after swimming is a priority.
Flying Problems
This parasite can be transferred from person to person, animal to person, or by coming in contact with a feces-contaminated surface. Recently there have been cases of high levels of the parasite on the beaches in Florida, forcing closure of the facilities. These levels were caused by birds that flew south for the winter. Feces falling into the ocean caused the outbreak, much like bird droppings in pools can cause trouble.
Parks can use a wide variety of methods to preventbirds from invading pool areas. Fishing wire stretched above waterways is an inexpensive way to ward off unwanted visitors.
More costly measures include using a distressed birdcall or sonic pulses that scare birds away, such as Bird Guard Pro and Crop Guard Pro. Used commonly for crop damage control, both products create sounds of birds in distress that create two effects. First, the noises scare away birds in the area, making them think the pool is not a safe place to be. Secondly, by making the birds irritated and edgy, they will not want to stick around in that environment. Either way, using these methods will help in reducing the possibility of a Crypto outbreak from bird droppings.
With prevention, education, and communication, you can be sure that your entire team is prepared for a wonderful operation, high profits, and, most importantly, a safe summer.
