OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to determine the health risks of swimming at ocean beaches in Sydney, Australia. METHODS: From people attending 12 Sydney beaches in the period from December 5, 1989 to February 26, 1990, we recruited a cohort of 8413 adults who agreed to participate in this study. Of these, 4424 were excluded either because they had been swimming in the previous 5 days or because they reported a current illness. Of the remainder, 2839 successfully completed a follow-up telephone interview conducted within 10 days after recruitment. We recorded reported respiratory, gastrointestinal, eye, and ear symptoms and fever that occurred within the 10 days between initial interview on the beach and the follow-up interview. RESULTS: A total of 683 participants (24.0%) reported experiencing symptoms in the 10 days following initial interview. Of these, 435 (63.7%) reported respiratory symptoms. Swimmers were almost twice as likely as nonswimmers to report symptoms. There was a linear relationship between water pollution and all reported symptoms with the exception of gastrointestinal complaints. CONCLUSIONS: Swimmers at Sydney ocean beaches are more likely to report respiratory, ear, and eye symptoms than beachgoers who do not swim. The incidence of these symptoms increases slightly with increasing levels of pollution.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to determine the health risks of swimming at ocean beaches in Sydney, Australia. METHODS: From people attending 12 Sydney beaches in the period from December 5, 1989 to February 26, 1990, we recruited a cohort of 8413 adults who agreed to participate in this study. Of these, 4424 were excluded either because they had been swimming in the previous 5 days or because they reported a current illness. Of the remainder, 2839 successfully completed a follow-up telephone interview conducted within 10 days after recruitment. We recorded reported respiratory, gastrointestinal, eye, and ear symptoms and fever that occurred within the 10 days between initial interview on the beach and the follow-up interview. RESULTS: A total of 683 participants (24.0%) reported experiencing symptoms in the 10 days following initial interview. Of these, 435 (63.7%) reported respiratory symptoms. Swimmers were almost twice as likely as nonswimmers to report symptoms. There was a linear relationship between water pollution and all reported symptoms with the exception of gastrointestinal complaints. CONCLUSIONS: Swimmers at Sydney ocean beaches are more likely to report respiratory, ear, and eye symptoms than beachgoers who do not swim. The incidence of these symptoms increases slightly with increasing levels of pollution.
Authors: M D Prieto; B Lopez; J A Juanes; J A Revilla; J Llorca; M Delgado-Rodríguez Journal: J Epidemiol Community Health Date: 2001-06 Impact factor: 3.710
Authors: Timothy J Wade; Elizabeth Sams; Kristen P Brenner; Richard Haugland; Eunice Chern; Michael Beach; Larry Wymer; Clifford C Rankin; David Love; Quanlin Li; Rachel Noble; Alfred P Dufour Journal: Environ Health Date: 2010-10-31 Impact factor: 5.984
Authors: I A van Asperen; C M de Rover; J F Schijven; S B Oetomo; J F Schellekens; N J van Leeuwen; C Collé; A H Havelaar; D Kromhout; M W Sprenger Journal: BMJ Date: 1995-11-25
Authors: Panagiotis Papastergiou; Varvara Mouchtouri; Ourania Pinaka; Anna Katsiaflaka; George Rachiotis; Christos Hadjichristodoulou Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2012-04-25 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Jill R Stewart; Rebecca J Gast; Roger S Fujioka; Helena M Solo-Gabriele; J Scott Meschke; Linda A Amaral-Zettler; Erika Del Castillo; Martin F Polz; Tracy K Collier; Mark S Strom; Christopher D Sinigalliano; Peter D R Moeller; A Fredrick Holland Journal: Environ Health Date: 2008-11-07 Impact factor: 5.984