

Chief State Medical Examiner
Healthy and Safe Swimming Week 2023: Got Diarrhea? Don’t Swim!
Swimming is a fun, healthy way to stay physically active and spend quality time with family and friends. Healthy and Safe Swimming Week highlights the roles that swimmers, caregivers, aquatics and beach staff, residential pool owners, and public health officials play in preventing disease outbreaks, drowning, and pool chemical injuries.
You can get sick with diarrhea if you swallow contaminated water in pools, hot tubs, splash pads, oceans, lakes, or rivers. In fact, diarrhea is the most common illness reported for outbreaks linked to water in these places. To learn more Please visit the CDC's Diarrhea and Swimming webpage.
HOW TO PREVENT DROWNING
The Facts:
You can prevent drowning by:
To learn more, please visit the CDC's Drowning Prevention website.
POOL CHEMICAL SAFETY
Pool chemicals, such as chlorine and bromine, are added to treated venues (for example, pools, hot tubs/spas, and water playgrounds) to protect swimmers from the spread of germs and prevent outbreaks. Other pool chemicals help with the disinfection process (for example, pH control), improve water quality, stop corrosion and scaling of equipment, and protect against algal growth. However, pool chemicals can injure people when mixed together or when appropriate personal protective equipment is not used when handling them. Please visit the CDC's Pool Chemical Safety webpage for more information.
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HAB) |
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Cyanobacteria are a type of bacteria capable of photosynthesis. Although they are not true algae, they were often referred to as “blue‐green algae”. A cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (HAB) is the name given to the excessive growth, or “bloom”, of cyanobacteria. Adverse health effects from recreational exposure to cyanobacterial cells and cyanotoxins can cause effects ranging from a mild skin rash to serious illness. HABs often occur under suitable environmental conditions of light, temperature, nutrient enrichment, and calm water. CyanoHABs and their toxins can harm people, animals, aquatic ecosystems, the economy, drinking water supplies, property values, and recreational activities, including swimming and commercial and recreational fishing. In New Jersey, HAB monitoring, identification and response activities are conducted through a collaboration of partners including the Department of Environmental Protection’s-Bureau of Freshwater & Biological Monitoring, Department of Health-Public Recreational Bathing Project, and local health authorities who oversee freshwater lakes, rivers and streams. Please access the links below to learn more about HAB’s and New Jersey's coordinated response efforts. Additional Resources New Jersey Harmful Algal Bloom Main Page |
COOPERATIVE COASTAL MONITORING PROGRAM (CCMP) |
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The Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program (CCMP) is a collaborative effort by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Division of Water Monitoring and Standards, Department of Health (DOH), Public Health and Food Protection Program's (PHFPP) Public Recreational Bathing Project and coastal local health authorities (LHA), to assess coastal water quality at public recreational bathing beaches. Sources of water pollution are subsequently investigated to protect public health and safety as results are contiuously shared with the public. Water samples are collected from coastal marine waters routinely from mid-May through September. Samples are analyzed for the fecal indicator bacterium, Enterococcus. Enterococcus itself is generally not harmful but indicates the possible presence of pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria, viruses, and protozoans that also live in human and animal digestive systems. Swimming in water exceeding the standard poses an increased risk of illness, such as gastroenteritis, low grade fevers and infections. To protect the public’s health, any sample found to exceed the maximum standard concentration of 104 colony forming units of Enterococci per 100 ml of sampled marine waters, requires a swimming advisory and/or closure of the recreational bathing waters. Resampling and a sanitary survey of the area by a licensed health inspector is conducted. The DEP coordinates CCMP activities, with cooperation of the DOH, to ensure New Jersey’s bathing beaches are safe and clean. You can find more information about beach water quality sample results, beach status, reports, fact sheets and similar information by visiting: https://www.njbeaches.org/. |
REGULATORY RESOURCES |
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DATA AND STATISTICS |
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CONSUMER RESOURCES |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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PUBLIC RECREATIONAL BATHING COMPLAINTS |
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Complaints regarding public recreational bathing facilities may be directed to the facility's local health department. |
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2023 WEBINAR FOR LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS Youth Camp and Public Recreational Bathing Updates for the Local Health Official Presented by New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program To be qualified for REHI credits, the participant will need to attend/watch the course, then request and complete the evaluation form (contact prb@doh.nj.gov). |