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Health effects of swimming in fecally-contaminated recreational water: Results from studies at nine coastal beaches
Citation:
Wade, Tim. Health effects of swimming in fecally-contaminated recreational water: Results from studies at nine coastal beaches. Presented at University of Virginia Seminar, Blacksburg, VA, April 11, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
Summary of EPA/CDC Recreational water research
Description:
Exposure to fecally-contaminated water has long been known to transmit infectious disease. In 2003, EPA and the CDC initiated studies to better describe the health effects associated with exposure to fecal contamination in recreational waters and to test faster ways of measuring such contamination. Over 50,000 beach-goers at nine beach sites were enrolled and over 3,000 water samples were collected and tested for indicators of fecal contamination. This effort has resulted in the publication of nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications or EPA reports and provided the scientific basis for the EPA’s 2012 revised ambient water quality criteria guidance for pathogens. In this presentation, the key findings of these studies will be presented. This abstract does not reflect EPA policy