Dr. Frank Bures It is currently summer and getting typically hot. Several new reports tell of swimming beaches in several states being closed temporarily.
A July 1 article said there were at least 37 beaches closed in Massachusetts. As of this article, four of 12 have been closed in Minneapolis. California has closed some.
Suffolk County in New York had 63 closed because of an increase in what is thought to be hazardous levels of bacteria after heavy rainfall and stormwater runoff. A July 3 article wrote that at least 10 states have closed beaches or warned people not to swim in the water because of high fecal bacteria levels. Some other closures are because of blue-green algae or cyanobacter blooms.
The "no swimming" signs are trying to warn people that levels of certain bacteria and other microbes have gotten high enough to possibly cause disease if they get the contaminated water in or on them. According to an article from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the beach pollution reaches the water via one or two, or both, sources. The first is point sources like pipes or culverts pouring the pollution directly into water from homes or businesses, which are easy to monitor.
The second are non-point sources of diffuse flows passing over or through land that can contain the pollution. These are more difficult to detect or monitor because they tend to vary a lot and are not visible. Many of the most common pollutants are from humans and animals.
Human fecal matter in water bodies constitutes the greatest public health threat because humans are reservoirs for many bacteria, parasites and viruses dangerous to other humans, which cause a variety of infections. Runoff from agricultural land and yards with pet waste with many germs like Salmonella bacteria are major concerns. A single dog elimination can contain over 40 million entercocci bowel bacteria, an indicator as well of additional, more serious germs.
It is equivalent to nearly 7,000 bird droppings. Getting the idea? The most common illness arising from polluted beach water is bowel inflammation or gastroenteritis with vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea and fever. Open wounds can become infected.
Swimmers can also be exposed to — and may contract — dysentery, cholera, hepatitis A or typhoid fever, depending on the beach. Some of the more common infectious organisms are Salmonella, which has different subtypes, including typhoid fever. It has caused more than 400 deaths per year.
The group of Shigella bacterial types may cause diarrhea, often bloody, fever and vomiting about a day after exposure with 14,000 cases reported annually. A parasite called Cryptosporidium from other people and animals may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever for about a week. Noroviruses are highly contagious.
They make up the most common cause of acute (not cute) gastroenteritis. Then we have our frequent companion E. coli.
There are others. But we can’t forget the small bowel parasite Giardia, called the old man of the gut. It can be an incredibly persistent, pesky, parasite infecting people all over the world, including Winona.
Officials monitoring the water even weekly cannot check for all these. They use E. coli and enterococcus bacteria as “indicator” organisms.
So, when the signs go up, do you just stay on the sand and build sandcastles? Well ...
high levels of indicator bacteria have even been found in beach sand! One small scale study found an increase in gastroenteritis associated with digging in and being buried in beach sand! Bummer! Even with the no swimming warnings, you can still go to sit in your beach chair, relax, enjoy the day (of course armed with a coating of sunscreen nowadays, under an umbrella to help prevent future wrinkles) and appreciate the scenery, the natural beauty and the view of other sunbathers. Dr. Frank Bures, a semi-retired dermatologist, has worked in Winona, La Crosse, Viroqua and Red Wing since 1978.
He also plays clarinet in the Winona Municipal Band and a couple Dixieland groups. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
