HEALTH-EFFECTS OF ATTENDING A PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL - FOLLOW-UP OF A COHORT OF PUPILS IN PARIS

Objectives-This study aimed to determine the health effects of attendi ng a well-kept school swimming pool maintained according to French pub lic health regulations. Methods-This prospective month long study was carried out on a randomised sample of pupils aged 5 to 18 years who at tended a private French school with two swimming pools. The children s urveyed, helped by their parents, had to fill in questionnaires about their bathing habits and symptoms during the survey period. Inspection s of the pool complex were made and these included physicochemical and bacteriological analyses of the pools' water. Participation-The respo nse rates achieved were 70% at primary and middle school levels but on ly 25% in the high school pupils. Because of this older teenagers were excluded from the final analysis (of 246 children). Results-Compared with non-bathers, bathers experienced fatigue and eye irritation signi ficantly more often (p<0.001). The eyes were red (38% of bathers) and/ or watery (16%) after swimming but this resolved spontaneously within 24 hours. Bathing behaviour (bath duration, head immersion, wearing sw imming goggles) did not affect these incidence rates noticeably. There were no differences between bathers and non-bathers with regard to ot her symptoms, especially otolaryngological ones. This survey does not allow definite conclusions to be made about verrucas because 22% of no n-bathers were exempted from swimming because of verrucas that they mi ght have caught previously in a pool. Conclusions-Except for verrucas, the methodology was adequate and daily self reporting of symptoms was feasible. This college largely recruits pupils from higher social cla sses and is not therefore representative of schools in Paris.