The New Threat Hiding in Swimming Pools: Is It in Yours?

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Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to pool season, but you might want to think twice this year before diving in. There’s something scary lurking in those placid blue-green waters.

The culprit, it turns out, is a particularly virulent microscopic parasite known as Cryptosporidium, also known as “Crypto.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s rising to epidemic levels in America’s pools and hot tubs. It has led to all sorts of unpleasant, even dangerous illnesses. And, just in case you’re not sufficiently alarmed/grossed out yet, its rise is linked to the increase in fecal matter found in your bubbling backyard oasis.

OK, let’s take a step back. What the heck is all that waste matter doing in your pool in the first place? Easy. The excrement in question comes from toddlers having accidents or trace amounts on any swimmer, from humans to pets (hey, what’s the dog doing in the pool again?).

According to a recent press release from the CDC, Crypto is extremely hard to kill with chlorine—and, as such, can easily spread when people swallow pool water with feces in it. Even downing just one mouthful of contaminated water can make people sick for up to three weeks with watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting.

And incidents involving this nasty bacteria are spreading fast: From 2014 to 2016, the number of reported Crypto outbreaks doubled from 16 to 32, causing hundreds to fall ill—particularly in Arizona (352) and Ohio (1,940). It’s no wonder, then, that the CDC has recently dubbed Crypto the “most common cause of diarrheal illness linked to swimming pools or water playgrounds.”

What to do about this latest outbreak

Experts aren’t totally clear on why the number of Crypto cases is growing, but many attribute it to increased awareness about the parasite and better detection methods. In other words, pools might not actually be getting any dirtier; we’re just more cognizant of the bad things that could be lurking within. Which is good news, we guess.

“People may have been getting sick before and thinking it was something else,” says Jay Labelle, owner of the Cover Guys, a hot tub supply company in Niagara Falls, NY.  “Now, there is more information readily available through the web and online resources, so this is likely leading to higher numbers of confirmed reports.”

While community pools and water parks are ground zero for a Crypto outbreak—based on the sheer number of people who jump in— residential swimming pools are also becoming contaminated. So what can you do about it?

For one, try to prevent outbreaks. Have everyone rinse off before taking a dip. Bring the kids to the bathroom before letting them splash in. And get your pets their own pool. And, well, don’t drink the water ever. Got that?

Unfortunately there isn’t a simple way to check if our pool has Crypto, because the bacteria does not evenly spread throughout the water you’re testing, explains Labelle. The only way to really figure it out is after your friends and family get sick after their swims.

“Symptoms can show up even a week after infection, so it can be difficult to identify,” Labelle says.

If you do notice your family and friends getting sick after they take a dip in your pool, the CDC endorses rectifying the damage with hyperchlorination (essentially pumping the water with a higher concentration of chlorine). And while this might go without saying, if you’re sick, don’t swim, says Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program. No matter how hot it is outside, wait until you’re in good health before taking the plunge—for everyone’s sakes.

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