Public Swimming Pool Links
On this page:
Swimming instructions
for young children
Disease transmission in swimming pools
Drowning and Near-drowning Injuries
Key Agencies for Pool-related Health and Safety
Information
References for Pool Construction and Operation
Attention: Links on this page take you outside the Minnesota Department of Health web site.
Swimming instructions for young children
- American Academy of Pediatrics - Policy Statement: Prevention of Drowning
- MN Department of Health - Pools and Child Care Facilities
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Disease transmission in swimming pools
- General information on outbreaks at pools
- Reports on Outbreaks - Center for Disease Control
- Recreational Water Illnesses - Center for Disease Control
- Surveillance
for Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks —United
States, 1997--1998" - Center for Disease Control: This website provides information for raising awareness about the spread of recreational water illnesses (RWIs). Learning about healthy swimming behaviors may help protect swimmers from the spread of illness. More than 15,000 swimmers became ill from swimming during the past decade.
- Guidelines for Safe Recreational - Water Environments - Volume 2: Swimming pools, spas and similar recreational - water environments. (PDF: 277.65KB/15 pages)
- Norwalk-like Viruses
- Shigella
- Cryptosporidium
- Protracted
Outbreaks of Cryptosporidiosis Associated
With Swimming Pool Use — Ohio and Nebraska, 2000
- Protracted
Outbreaks of Cryptosporidiosis Associated
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Drowning and Near-drowning Injuries
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control— Most children drown in swimming pools. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), emergency departments reported that among children younger than 5 years old, about 320 fatal drownings in 1991 and nearly 2,300 non-fatal near-drownings in 1993 occurred in residential swimming pools. Between 60-90% of drownings among children aged 0-4 years occur in residential pools; more than half of these occur at the child's own home. Compared with in-ground pools without four-sided fencing, 60% fewer drownings occur in in-ground pools with four-sided isolation fencing.
- American Academy of Pediatrics - Prevention of Drowning in Infants, Children, and Adolescents
Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death in children. In 2000, more than 1400 US children younger than 20 years drowned. A number of strategies are available to prevent these tragedies. Pediatricians play an important role in prevention of drownings as educators and advocates.
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Key Agencies for Pool-related Health and Safety Information
- Center for Disease Control
- Center for Disease Control - Healthy Swimming
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- National Safety Council References for Pool Construction and Operation
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References for Pool Construction and Operation
- NSF Products and Service Listings: Equipment which is part of the installation or alteration of a pool recirculation system must comply with Standard50, "Circulation System Components for Swimming Pools, Spas or Hot Tubs," of the NSF International.
- Individual States' Child Care Licensure Regulations, National Resource for Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, (search on "pool")
- National Health & Safety Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, 2nd edition
- Pool Safety: Manufacturers of ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 Approved Drain Covers
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