My previous doctor could not understand why I would not join a gym to exercise in the pool. You talk with some commercial pool service and repair workers enough, it gets very difficult to enjoy a swim.

The last time I went into a public pool/spa was about 25 years ago. I ended up with a staph infection. I will never, ever, go into a public pool or spa again. We have our own pool in our backyard and it's perfect for us.

I just quit the gym. This guy went off on me when I told him what I did for a living. Turns out he was homeless living in his van having been evicted from his rental. I have a gym at my house, thought it would be nice to have the company...but I don't want to work out with hostile homeless people who take showers at the gym.

We're members of a community pool and the lifeguards are checking levels and cleaning constantly. I just love it and miss it when it's closed (seasonal where I live).

Public pool maintainers should be more careful, but with kids in a pool, I'm not sure any measures ( even at home) will always be effective.

Going out in public involves a guarantee of exposure to diseases and germs. Better to accept it and do what you want to do. To deny kids the fun of regular pool visits and swimming would seem extreme.

I watched that on the news this morning. Nothing is safe anymore. Swim at your own risk. I'll stay in my own pool.

Sad to have to 'think' about that. How did I manage to survive growing up...in Ca. and being a "swimmer" (and performer) in many, if not every, public pool and school, in the SF Bay area? I wonder if any schools were included in that study.

Snidely, if your comment was directed at me, you should know that I do not have children of any age, so I'm not denying anyone anything. Yes, I know that going out in public "involves a guarantee of exposure to diseases and germs," and I also know that the era in which I was raised didn't have all of the paranoias that persist today. We drank water directly from garden hoses, played in dirt and mud, etc., etc. That exposure no doubt gave us much of the immunity that we now enjoy. But I am not going to needlessly subject myself to risk and going into a public pool, to me, is a needless risk.

After taking a 'second look' at that report, I sorta think the pools in question are more "public" than I automatically believed....meaning those where many different ages and levels of supervision are in place. Motels, recreation pools where there are limited life-guards and minimal supervision or people enforcing "rules" like showering first and acceptable behavior. Yes, "swim at your own risk", implies that you need to safe-guard against drowning....after reading the article..."swim at your own risk" takes on a different and additional meaning.

"Motels, recreation pools where there are limited life-guards and minimal supervision or people enforcing "rules" like showering first and acceptable behavior."

At any public pool it's impossible to "enforce rules like showering first."

I think sending kids these days to the pool without at least saying something about checking out sanitation is like sending teenage kids out on dates without mentioning sex and stds at some point in their lives prior. It's not only sticking your head in the sand, it is dragging them along to the sandbox with you.

There are resistant infections to be had, in both pools and sex. Being careful doesn't mean losing the joy of it, it just makes it all a little safer.

Lindsey, I don't think that Snidely was singling you out at all, but commenting on the issue as a whole. :-)

I use a public pool at my University Fitness Center. It's not widely used by children, something that I'm grateful about, but rather by adults taking water aerobics classes, having water therapy with their trainers, and doing laps. I use the pool three times a week, take a quickie shower beforehand if I haven't come straight from home, and always shower afterwards.

I can only trust in the overall cleanliness of this facility and the great professionalism of the administration. I'm very grateful to have such a facility to use because the pool activity has had such a beneficial impact to my health.

No lindsey, I wasn't referring to your comment at all but rather to the article. The article's use of the phrase "public pools" and the photos made me think of community, club or municipal pools and also those at motels and water parks. The types typically full of kids. Some risks can't reasonably be avoided, and swimming in public pools is probably one of them.

While adults may be less likely than kids to use a pool as a toilet while in it, I'm not sure that the average adult (especially a senior) is any less likely to have a poopy bottom than a kid, or is any more likely to take a shower before entering a pool.

If you think pools are germy, movie theaters are filthy. Just Google "movie theater germs." It's gross.

I am so glad I grew up during a time before the information age. How ever did my generation even survive? Today's generation is so anxious about every little thing. We have all sorts of anxieties cropping up regarding everything from the food we eat to the water we bathe in. Crazy.

All these reports do is promote anxiety issues among the general public. What is seldom mentioned in restaurant reports is that most violations are handled in a matter of minute or less than a day. Often it is simply something like an empty soap dispenser or a lack of clean bar towels when the inspector comes by. But that gets classified under some scary sounding violation. Boom the dispenser is filled and the towel delivery arrive and they are back in compliance. Same with pools. There is no possible way to keep the PH levels constant in any pool much less a public one and that seems to be the most common violation. Then thier is the let's scare the bejeezus out of the public with the math. Yeah. Around 12% of the pools had to be closed. For how long? 30 minutes? A hour? A few days? A week? Forever?

I agree that neighborhood (HOA) /motel and other semi public pools are riskier than a water park pool. Often volunteers or the owners are keeping up the upkeep.

People just need to chill a bit. Live life,have fun and take Google and the mass media with a grain of salt. A whole salt block would be better.

"I am so glad I grew up during a time before the information age."

Ignorance is bliss?

I agree that the media can sensationalize sometimes. But for me, the answer is to try to get the facts and make my own choices, not shut out the information all together.

Exaggerate much?

Watchmelol... LOVE your response!

The pool thing was a story on Friday's local news... encouraging people to buy water testing kits before going to a public pool!?! I know it's gross, but people do PEE in the pool... could be the person right next to you?? People SPIT in the pool. I'm convinced there's a segment of the population that has food "issues" just so they can say they have food issues?? Look at ME ME ME!

And on another note... would you consider my use of caps to be shouting? Or just stressing/emphasizing?

Klsieivered ....I consider your use of caps to be stressing/emphasizing. My use of caps was for a net-centric abbreviation for a commonly used exclamation meaning either Oh My God or Oh My Gosh depending on one's religious leaning in the use of God's (god's for the Jewish) name.

Lol, this thread is funny. I avoid public pools and prefer to use my own pool but that stems from the fact that

1. It is difficult to watch all 4 kids in a crowded public pool

2. The water is COLD!!!

I've been spoiled by husband. He has built solar heaters for our pool and the lowest swimmable temp for me is 83°, IF it is the hottest part of the day. Most of the time our pool is in the 86-90° range, sometimes warmer. We can swim all night, then wake up in the morning and the pool is still at 85°.

I will say though, as gross as peeing in the pool is, it isn't my primary concern.

I worry more about people who currently have diarrhea or open sores. I won't let them in my pool but I know they go in public pools. Ewww!!!!!

I took up swimming because of my arthritis doc. Not many good options (private, aka a pool for me way out of the $$$$ range) I joined the Y. I know people that swim there daily, and I know people that would NEVER go there, cause someone might pee in there. For me, it was a simple shower before (cause it is required) and shower and get cleaned up after, cause I require it for myself. Now I go swim in the gulf. I know, chemicals get dumped in our open waters, I know people go in the water cause they need to pee, and I know, marine life pees and poops in there... but I swim. Sometimes, you have to take some bad, to get some good.

Germs, I am exposed to daily. What doesn't bother me, surely makes me tougher. :)

Moni