Swimming and health
We protect our lake above all to maintain the health of its ecosystem. However, protecting the lake also means protecting our health and that of our children.
What risks are there from bathing in water contaminated by sewerage?
The principal risks related to bathing in contaminated water are infections of the various tissues and organs that come into contact with bacteria and viruses contained in the water.
They can be:
- gastroenteritis, from the banal types with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever which last for a few days, to those with more important symptoms such as salmonella or cholera vibrio
- infections of the urinary tract (cystitis, vulvovaginitis, balanoposthitis)
- skin infections
- ear infections
- conjunctivitis
Are children the most exposed?
Yes, children certainly are those that most readily present infections after immersion in contaminated water (1). Their immune system is still being formed; in particular, children in the first years of life more easily swallow water, they spend on average much more time in the water than adults, and they tend not to take steps to protect themselves in possibly contaminated water (such as keeping the head above water, keeping the eyes closed under water, washing with clean water after bathing). The skin of children in the first year of life tends to be, then, much more permeable. Also, given the ease with which infant children dehydrate, even banal gastroenteritis can frequently need intensive medical treatment.
The presence of detergents can cause noxious effects. Which?
Contact with the skin and mucus membranes can cause irritation which obviously varies depending on the concentration of the molecule and of its composition.
The ingestion of water contaminated with detergents can present toxicity for the subject that also varies, according to the type of molecule and its concentration.
Can the residue of pesticides used in agriculture and present in the water have effects on the health of bathers?
Certainly. Pesticides that permeate the water reach humans through the fish and animals that live in the environment and which man eats. Toxicity can be also transmitted from mother to child via the placenta or breast milk, striking the foetus or the baby at a particularly vulnerable time. Many studies confirm the neurotoxicity of organophosphate compounds, seemingly associated with the disruption of cognitive development of children and with an increased risk of the onset of attention deficit disorders (ADHD). (2)
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(1) Cohen Hubal, E., Sheldon, L.S., Burke, J.M., et al (June 2000). “Children’s exposure assessment: a review of factors influencing children’s exposure, and the data available to characterize and assess that exposure”. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108(6), 475–486.
(2) See:
- Gonzáles-Alzaga, B., Lacasaña, M., Aguilar-Garduñoc, C., et al (15 October 2014),“A systematic review of neurodevelopmental effects of prenatal and postnatal organophosphate pesticide exposure”, Toxicology Letters, Volume 230, Issue 2, Pages 104-121.
- Viel, J-F., Warembourg, C., Le Maner-Idrissi, G., et al (September 2015), “Pyrethroid insecticide exposure and cognitive developmental disabilities in children: The Pelagie mother–child cohort”. Environment International, 82: 69-75.
For a general bibliographic reference in Italian:
Toffol, G., Reali, L., Todesco, L., (2017), Inquinamento e salute dei bambini. Cosa c’è da sapere, cosa c’è da fare. (Pollution and the health of children. What to know, what to do.) Il pensiero scientifico editore, 2nd edition.