Health Problems From an Indoor Water Park

As one of the fastest-growing attractions in the United States, indoor water parks are increasingly popular with families who want to enjoy the water without worrying about the weather. Because they are climate-controlled, Parenting.com reports, the water stays at a comfortable 82 degrees year round. While they seem to be a perfect family-friendly vacation, reports of various illnesses at indoor water parks throughout the country have some people concerned about whether these parks are as safe as they are fun.

Significance

• A 2008 CDC study found more than 650 cases in which individuals complained of eye irritation and respiratory problems at one hotel's water park. Unfortunately, these types of complaints are not isolated incidents and occur alongside reports of waterborne illnesses such as Cryptosporidiosis. Swimmers at indoor water parks also run the risk of drowning or injury such as slips or falls.

Types

• Indoor water parks tend to have many of the same types of waterborne illnesses as outdoor parks, including risks of E.coli, Cryptosporidiosis and Norovirus.

  CDC researchers believe that the sealed environment of an indoor water park traps dangerous gases called chloramines. Chloramines are formed when chlorine used to treat and disinfect the pool mixes with sweat or urine from swimmers. After the chlorine and sweat/urine mix in the water, they can then be dispersed throughout the pool by swimmers or the park's spray features.

Effects

• Waterborne illnesses such as E.coli and Cryptosporidiosis can be transmitted through the water at indoor water parks and can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramping and fever. The severity of these infections ranges from mild to fatal. Norovirus, another gastrointestinal illness, sickened more than 400 visitors to an indoor water park in 2008. While often associated with cruise ships, norovirus can be transmitted anywhere that people have close continued contact.

  Chloramines tend to cause eye irritation and respiratory irritations such as wheezing, coughing and sneezing. The CDC does not have any reported fatalities due to these chloramines.

Warning

• A 3-year-old child drowned in 2009 at the Kalahari water park, one of the largest parks in the world. According to an August 2009 article in the Huffington Post, the Kalahari park was inspected in May 2009 by the Amusement Ride Safety Division, which informed Kalahari management that "many water rides were operated in a careless and unsafe manner." They also found fewer lifeguards than they expected at the 173,000-square-foot water park.

  The CDC states that children younger than 5 and adolescents ages 15 to 24 are most at risk of drowning.

Prevention/Solution

• If you are bringing young children or somebody who cannot swim to the water park, make sure they wear appropriate flotation devices. Watch your child carefully, since the pool's lifeguards should not be relied upon to protect your child from drowning.

  Parents should ensure that children in diapers wear swim diapers and make sure that young children take frequent toilet breaks to avoid introducing fecal matter or urine into the water at a swim park.