What health problems might a swimmer experience if swimming in contaminated waters?
Swimmers are at risk for a broad range of adverse health effects. These include fever, nausea, and gastroenteritis. Flu-like symptoms, such as nasal congestion, sore throat, fever, and/or coughing are also possible. Storm drains can even be a source of problems during drier weather because broken pipes or connections to sanitary disposal systems may contribute pathogens to the storm drains. Swimming-related illnesses are typically minor. This means that they require little or no treatment, respond readily to treatment and have no long-term health effects. The most common illness associated with swimming in water polluted by sewage is gastroenteritis. It occurs in a variety of forms that can have the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache, and fever. Other minor illnesses associated with swimming include ear, eye, nose, and throat infections.
