66-68 WATER TECHNOLOGY:SPN Master pages 18/5/09 17:56 Page 3
spnfeature
Water Treatment Advisory Group,
attracted almost 200 delegates. There
were three days of top-quality papers from
CRITICAL TIMES FOR
world experts – academics, public health
professionals, consultants and others.
POOL TREATMENT
As well as addressing urgent issues of the
day – like cryptosporidium and asthma The World Health Organisation has
– there were technical papers on disinfection produced guidelines for different
by-products, management etc, as well as a standards of pool treatment – but how
look into the future of international well are they used?
cooperation in research and standards. Janice Calvert Chairman of the
Delegates came from Austria, Bahrain, Swimming Pool & Spa International
Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Conference 2009 said; “The
Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, conference comes at an important
Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, time for swimming, with debates
Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Portugal, Slovakia, about the different standards of
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK and US. The pool treatment in different
first of these biennial conferences was in countries, health effects such as
Budapest, the second Munich. The Royal the link between disinfection
College of Physicians’ Headquarters in byproducts and childhood
Regent’s Park was the venue this time. asthma, cryptosporidium and
The conference was divided into six Legionella, products and
sections – Infections, Water treatment, Risk processes which are promoted
management, Technical management of claiming to short-circuit some of
hygiene, Health impact of disinfection the traditional challenges in
PWTAG
byproducts and Open forum. There were 35 running healthy pools.
telephonesolid 01379 783678
papers in all, representing the work of over “The itinerary of the conference
envelopeback guthrie@pwtag.org
100 workers. This account can inevitably is varied and aims to cover a wide
pc www.pwtag.org
give only a flavour of the conference. range of currently topical areas and is
Cryptosporidium, the number one cause presented by speakers throughout Europe and the USA.
of gastrointestinal illness from water, “We would like to thank the many speakers from some 12 countries who have
inevitably had a high profile at the presented their experience and research.”
conference. A contribution from the United
States Center for Disease Control and
Prevention underlined the importance of pioneeered by some Dutch researchers brave attempt from Gordon Nichols of the
acting quickly when cases appear, and was intriguing. Using a controlled shower UK Health Protection Agency to start
even anticipating problems in the outbreak cabin they were able to measure the assesssing quantitatively the disease
season by taking preventive measures: effects of dirty bodies on the pollution burden from swimming. This difficult work
warning the public, stepping up water load entering the pool – and the beneficial is still some way short of suggesting
treatment etc. effects of showering. The dirtiest would-be intervention strategies. An HPA colleague
Although it was clear from other bathers could carry 26 times as much spoke of the more immediate problems
conference papers that cryptosporidium can pollution into the water as the cleanest; on raised by the proliferation of interactive
readily be found in a proportion of pools the positive side, showering removed water features. Unless they include decent
and that so-called swim diapers do not about 80% of the pollution. water treatment, there is a very real
keep it out of the pool, work done on Representatives of the Federation of Tour infection risk.
behalf of the pool water advisory group Operators described how they co-operated Asthma was the cloud hanging over the
reinforces confidence that it can be with the Spanish government after a series section of the conference that dealt with
removed by good filtration and coagulation. of major cryptosporidiosis outbreaks disinfection by-products. Two separate
Infection problems from mycobacteria and associated with hotel pools in 2000 and papers from CREAL in Barcelona
fungi in pools were also discussed. 2002. There was a clear need for some suggested first, that lung damage was by
Risk management was the theme for a unified guidance on how to operate the no means as clear-cut as Belgian studies
series of papers. pools, especially in the event of an apparent had suggested.
The database of pool performance outbreak. As it happens, and apparently by Second, a survey of over 3,000 school-
results that Hungarian authorities are coincidence, there have been no major age children could find no association
setting up was too ‘big brother’ for some outbreaks since, to test the new guidelines. between swimming and asthma. On the
in the audience. The section of the conference on other hand, toxicological work from
A systematic approach to bathing load technical management opened with a Germany did suggest a link. And there
were interesting data from an Italian study
comparing the lifetime exposure to
disinfection by-products in competitive,
NEW POOL TREATMENT BOOK LAUNCHED
frequent and occasional swimmers.
The conference closed with a
The conference saw the launch of the new edition of Pool challenging open forum looking at how to
Water Treatment Advisory Group’s definitive book of build on the common purpose so manifest
guidelines, Swimming Pool Water: treatment and quality in such a conference. It was agreed that
standards for pools and spas. The book contains 200 pages of there was a need to share knowledge and
updated, in some cases new material, covering a subject so develop some common parameters that
critical to healthy swimming. There are new chapters on would be applied to the necessary
swimming pool basics, dealing with outbreaks, spas, leisure research. There were many volunteers from
pools, hydrotherapy pools, outdoor and paddling pools, the many countries represented, to make
domestic pools and interactive water features. up an initially internet-based forum for this
work. spn
Visit our website at www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
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JUNE 09 swimming pool news 67
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