Acute illnesses among Los Angeles County lifeguards according to worksite exposures.

Due to public concern regarding the potential adverse health effects of exposure to Santa Monica Bay waters, a case-control study of acute illnesses among Los Angeles County lifeguards was conducted. Workers' compensation claimants (N = 112) were matched to healthy lifeguards working in the same year and having the same job classification. Conditional logistic regression showed that the southernmost worksites of the bay were associated with all acute illnesses (OR = 14.4, 95% CI = 4.7, 44.8) and with ear infections (OR = 12.5, 95% CI = 2.9, 53.4).