Education & Resources
Many people are unaware of how to protect themselves during recreational swimming activities. Whether you're looking for answers to your own questions, are interested in aquatics staff training, or are an educator seeking to raise awareness about recreational water illnesses (RWIs) or other topics, the links below should serve as a valuable resource.
Frequently Asked Questions
These documents raise awareness about recreational water illnesses (RWIs) by answering swimmers' and aquatics staff's most frequently asked questions.
- Chlorine Disinfection: Time Table for Killing Common Germs
- Cleaning Surfaces Around the Pool
- Diarrhea and Spreading Illness at the Pool
- Diarrhea: What To Do If You Are Ill
- Head Lice and Swimming
- "Hot Tub Rash" Outbreak
- Hydrotherapy Tank and Pool Operation
- Inflatable and Plastic Pools
- Interactive Fountains, Wet Decks and Spray Pads
- Irritants (Chloramines) and Indoor Pool Air Quality
- Pinworm and Swimming
- RWIs and Aquatics Staff: Why Be Concerned?
- Swim Diapers and Swim Pants
Training for Professionals
- Pool Operator Training
- Certified Pool-Spa Inspector Training (CPI)
- Swimming Pools and Spas Interactive Training CD-ROM for Environmental Health Pool Programs
Health Promotion Materials
Prevention Materials
Prevention materials are designed for different audiences to provide ideas and methods for potentially reducing the risk of contracting or spreading RWIs. These suggestions should reduce risk and lead to a healthier swimming experience for the general public.
All Audiences
General Public
Aquatics Staff
- Crypto Alert: Aquatics Sector (PDF, 72 kb, 1 page)
- 12 Steps for Prevention, 12 Steps for Prevention - PDF (PDF, 435 kb, 12 pages)
- Design and Operation Guidelines
- Disinfection and Remediation Guidelines
- Prevention Commentaries
Public Health Professionals
- Crypto Alert: Health Professionals (PDF, 72 kb, 1 page)
- Model Aquatic Health Code
- RWI Health Promotion Toolkit
- Prevention Commentaries
- Pool Inspector Training
Pediatricians and Healthcare Professionals
These articles were written to inform pediatricians about recreational water illnesses (RWIs) and the need to give guidance to parents about having their children stay out of recreational water while they are ill with diarrhea.
- Safe Swimming: Talk to Parents about
Preventing Recreational Water Illnesses (PDF, 148
kb, 2 pages)
(reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Pediatrics) - Prevention of Recreational
Water Illnesses (PDF, 511 kb, 3 pages)
(reprinted with permission from SLACK Incorporated) - Therapy Pool Operation in Healthcare Facilities
Additional reference:
- Castor ML, Beach MJ. (2004). Reducing illness transmission from disinfected
recreational water venues: Swimming, diarrhea, and the emergence of a new public
health concern.
Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 23:866-870.
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Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
- Page last reviewed: December 19, 2008
- Page last updated: December 19, 2008
- Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Atlanta, GA 30333 - 800-CDC-INFO
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TTY: (888) 232-6348
24 Hours/Every Day - healthywater@cdc.gov
