Every summer, it is necessary to temporarily close some resort pools due to the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli). This bacterium is part of the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of homeothermic animals, such as humans. Its presence in swimming pools is therefore associated with the presence of faeces in the water.
Most of these incidents are believed to be due to infants not wearing the mandatory swimming pool nappies.
On the other hand, in communiqué 133 received on August 1st, just when many users started their holidays, 4 pools were reported closed due to contaminated water, but this time by pseudomona aeruginosa.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium frequently found in damp areas around the world, from sinks and toilets to swimming pools. It is a so-called opportunistic pathogen, as it takes advantage of the host's weakened defences to infect it. It can cause urinary tract, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract infections, dermatitis or bone and joint infections. These infections can range from mild external infections to severe disease, although the latter usually affect people with weakened immune systems or other previous pathologies.
In healthy people it does not usually affect seriously and could causes only external otitis or folliculitis (an inflammation of the hair follicles). Detection of pseudomonas aeruginosa should not cause alarm and is more a microbiological issue, indicating that something has gone wrong, than a public health issue.
Once the bacteria has been detected, to ensure its removal it is necessary to clean not only the water, but also the surrounding surfaces to remove any biofilms that may have formed. A bacterial biofilm is a colony of bacteria that adheres to solid surfaces, such as walls or floors, to resist the environment.
There are three cleaning techniques that can be carried out in a swimming pool:
- Hyperchlorination of swimming pools
- Cleaning of filters and
- Increased water recirculation
After these measures have been applied, a new water sample is taken for analysis and the results are obtained after 48 hours.
At the Spanish state level, Royal Decree 742/2013 of 27 September, establishes the technical-sanitary criteria for swimming pools. Its scope of application includes swimming pools belonging to homeowners' communities, but only in certain articles.
With regard to local regulations, in June 2014 the Directorate General of Public Health of the Region of Murcia drafted a Guide for Community Swimming Pools (Type 3A), which does not expand on the information contained in Royal Decree 742/2013.
We believe that pool maintenance should be more strictly enforced than required by the above-mentioned royal decree and guidance to prevent such incidents as far as possible.
Having information on the laboratories that carry out the analyses, their methods, quality controls, protocols, dates... would allow to assess the performance and efficiency of pool maintenance and, if necessary, require the relevant improvements.
Carmen Franco
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