Most of us take precautions when planning to spend a day in the sun and surf. We apply sunscreen, don hats, and pay attention to warnings about waves, sharks, and water quality. But a recent report highlights an overlooked beach risk: the sand.
Working with partners at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Johns Hopkins University, EPA scientists recently revealed a positive relationship between sand exposure and gastrointestinal illnesses.
For some time now, swimming has been prohibited when fecal microbial pollution exceeds allowable standards. But it turns out beaches are also risky. And the microbial pollution we are exposed to when building a sandcastle or picnicking increases our chances of getting sick.
An assessment of two beaches located less than two miles from sewage treatment plants found that, among nearly 5,000 beach-goers, those that dug in the sand were twice as likely to report coming down with diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and headaches following outings. Those that were buried in the sand fared the worst.
Study beaches were located in Fairhope, Alabama and Warwick, Rhode Island. Researchers took over 140 sand samples, testing for bacterial indicators of fecal contamination. People that recreated in sand with the highest levels of Enterococcus were the most prone to developing a GI-related illness.
Timothy Wade, chief of the EPA’s Epidemiology Branch and senior author of the study, doesn’t want to scare people away from enjoying the beach. But he does advise taking simple precautions, such as washing hands or using a hand sanitizer after playing in the sand or water.
And please, don’t let your kids eat sand.
Photo, taken on April 19, 2009 using a Nikon D300, courtesy of Ed Yourdon via Flickr.