You know those public fountains that spray pillars of water into the air that people can frolic amongst? They’re called Splash Pads. You often see them filled with children trying to cool off in the summer heat. It’s just some good old-fashioned well-intentioned public fun. Well, the CDC says they are filled with fecal matter and cause around 10,000 illnesses a year.
Between 1997 and 2022, splash pads were responsible for at least 60 outbreaks resulting in over 10,600 illnesses, 152 hospitalizations, and 99 ER visits. Visit one and you’ll likely catch any number of pathogens like Cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea. You could get Campylobacter, a bacterium that causes diarrhea. Or maybe even norovirus, a virus that causes diarrhea.
Splash pads transmit diarrhea-causing illnesses because all the little kids running around these public fountains with their dirty diapers and upset tummies release all sorts of nasty bacteria into the water that other kids and even adults like to splash around in—and sometimes swallow.
Splash pads do get cleaned from time to time, usually with chlorine to kill some of the pathogens. But chlorine doesn’t do a spectacular job of neutralizing some of the more stubborn pathogens causing vicious bouts of diarrhea, like the ones listed above.
The spores of those parasites and viruses can survive in chlorinated water for over a week. And there you are, standing over a waterspout filled with diarrhea particles, letting the water smack your face. And the water hitting your face splashes around and creates a mist that helps spread the bacteria even further away.
What doesn’t help is that splash pads are not well-regulated. Hell, they’ve been all over the US for decades now yet only 13 states created any rules for them before the year 2000.
The CDC recommends that cities update the portions of their health codes involving splash pads to include alternative disinfection methods like ultraviolet light or ozone. The CDC also recommends using single-pass water systems that don’t recirculate water.
The post Kids’ Splash Pads Are Actually Just Poop Fountains appeared first on VICE.
The post Kids’ Splash Pads Are Actually Just Poop Fountains appeared first on VICE.
