Swimming Pool Safety Alert

CDC urges public to be "vigilant" about pool safety.
The AP (5/21, Stobbe) reports, "A new government report shows one in eight public swimming pools were shut down two years ago because of dirty water or other problems, like missing safety equipment." The data are "based on more than 120,000 inspections of public swimming pools in 2008, including those in parks and hotels." In fact, this is "the largest study of the topic ever done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released the report Thursday." The agency said that "each year, there are about 15 or 20 outbreaks from stomach bugs blamed on pools. ... Studies suggest a quarter of them are caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites that should have been killed by proper pool treatment and chlorination."