Tourists may face dangers in resort pools

UP to a quarter of swimming pools in European resorts could contain potentially dangerous bacteria, according to studies.

A study by Which? magazine tested 80 pools in the island destinations of Majorca, Spain, and Corfu, Greece.

The findings showed over 80% of pools tested were unsatisfactory, including one quarter which were deemed “health hazards” and another 29 labelled as potentially dangerous. Only two of the 80 received top marks, and six were found to be heavily contaminated with bacteria originating from faeces.

Pool areas in many European resorts are not being cleaned to a sufficient standard it seems. E coli, Giardia and cryptosporidium could all be present in the swimming pool of popular resorts for Irish holiday-makers.

Dirt, urine, sweat and faecal matter are all released by or washed off the human body into the pool, in addition to cosmetics and sun cream.

E coli and cryptosporidium are caused by human faecal matter. Contamination are often caused by individuals with diarrhoea or babies without properly waterproof nappies who use the pool. Another serious threat is Acanthamoeba, which attacks the surface of the eye and can lead to a serious agitation, infection or blindness, particularly in contact lens users or those suffering from eye conditions. Bacteria in a bathing area can be difficult to detect and many people may not be aware of dangers.

HolidayTravelWatch’s Frank Brehany said: “When people are ill during or after a holiday they usually assume it’s because of something they’ve eaten, but it could easily be caused by the water they’ve been swimming in.”

Tourists are advised that a strong smell of chlorine does not, as one might expect, indicate a clean pool. The familiar “swimming pool” smell is caused by a gas released when chlorine reacts with impurities already in the pool.

Other warning signs include cloudy water, and visible floating particles, which indicate bad filtration.

Irish Travel Agent’s Association chief executive Simon Nugent said: “I don’t think this is a major issue that people need to be worrying about on their holidays, but a bit of common sense is always warranted: if a pool looks odd, then don’t use it, or check it out.”