FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2014

Contact: Cynthia Leckey or Melissa Brock
(321) 633-2100

RECREATIONAL WATER ILLNESS AND INJURY PREVENTION WEEK 2014
Healthy and Safe Swimming: We’re in it Together

The week before Memorial Day (May 19–25, 2014) is Recreational Water Illness and Injury (RWII) Prevention Week. The goal of RWII Prevention Week is to maximize the health benefits of swimming by promoting healthy and safe swimming. Just 2.5 hours of water-based (or other forms of) physical activity per week has health benefits across a lifetime. We each play a role in preventing injuries, such as drowning or from mishandling pool chemicals, and illnesses caused by germs in the places we swim.

Drownings:

Why Is This Important?

Every day, two children less than 14 years old die from drowning. It is the leading cause of injury death for children 1–4 years old.

For more info, visit www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/index.html.

Simple and Effective Prevention Steps We Can All Take

• Keep swimmers safe in the water.
  • Make sure everyone knows how to swim.
  • Use life jackets appropriately.
  • Provide continuous, attentive supervision close to swimmers.
  • Know CPR (for older children and adults).
• Prevent access to water when pool is not in use.
  • Install and maintain barriers like 4-sided fencing and weight-bearing pool covers.
  • Use locks/alarms for windows and doors.

Injuries caused by mishandling pool chemicals (for pool operators and residential pool owners):

Why Is This Important?

Pool chemicals are added to the water to kill germs and maximize disinfection. Each year, however, mishandling pool chemicals leads to 3,000–5,000 visits to emergency departments across the U.S.

For more info, visit www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/pools/preventing-pool-chemical-injuries.html.

Simple and Effective Prevention Steps We Can All Take

• Read and follow directions on product labels.
• Wear appropriate safety equipment, such as goggles and masks, as directed, when handling pool chemicals.
• Secure pool chemicals to protect people and animals.
• Add pool chemicals poolside ONLY when directed by product label and when no one is in the water.
• Prevent violent, potentially explosive, reactions.
  • NEVER mix different pool chemicals with each other, especially chlorine products with acid.
  • Pre-dissolve pool chemicals ONLY when directed by product label.
    • Add pool chemical to water, NEVER water to pool chemical.

Illnesses caused by the germs in the places we swim:

Why Is This Important?

In 2009–2010, 57 outbreaks were linked to pools. Remember, chlorine and other disinfectants kill most germs within minutes, but some can survive for days. Pee and sweat mix with chlorine and form chemicals that can make our eyes red and trigger asthma attacks. So it’s important to keep germs, poop, and pee out of the water we all swim in.

For more info, visit www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming.

Simple and Effective Prevention Steps We Can All Take

• All swimmers:
  • Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea.
  • Check the chlorine level and pH with test strips before getting into water.
    • Proper chlorine levels (1–3 mg/L or parts per million [ppm]) and pH (7.2–7.8) maximize germ-killing power.
  • Shower with soap before you start swimming.
  • Don’t poop or pee in the water.
  • Don’t swallow the water.
• Parents of young children:
  • Take children on bathroom breaks every 60 minutes, or check diapers every 30–60 minutes.

To obtain more information on drowning prevention, please visit our website at www.brevardeh.com and click on ‘Public Swimming Pools and Bathing Places’.

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