The state of public pool water quality in Australia; here are some facts:
- Scientific research has established the link between the onset of Asthma in pre-school children and chlorinated swimming pools. A European peer reviewed academic study that concluded this from their research (study linked on the ‘resources’ page). This should alarm all Australians, because our authorities are allowing public pools to operate at up to an excessive 30-TIMES (!) more chlorine, than the maximum regulated levels in European nations. High asthma and high bather loads lead to dangerous concentrations of highly toxic gases at the water surface that are three times heavier than oxygen, referred to as Disinfection By Products (DBP’s, Trihalomethanes, Trichloramines).
- Australia has the highest prevalence of Asthma in the world, with 2.7 million Australians diagnosed representing 11% of our population. Asthma Australia reported 424 deaths in 2023, 65 of those were children, as well as 33,000. hospital visits per annum, estimating the cost of the burden of asthma at $871 million per annum to the Australian economy.
- Since January of 2024, an explosion of Cryptosporidium outbreaks was recorded across Australia, at a rate of up to 13 times the long-term national average. Assuming the trend continues, we could see 24,000. Crypto outbreaks reported, versus the long term average of 3,200. cases per annum. Healthy Pool Water posits that the vast majority of these outbreaks are preventable, if higher standards for pool water quality were adhered to. NB. The Cryptosporidium is a microscopic protozoan parasite that is resistant to chlorine.
- No standard exists for the design and construction of public aquatic facilities. Councils and other public pool owners typically procure new pool projects or renovations through a typical tender process, which requires the industry to compete on a lowest logical cost basis. This fact results in low quality pools being built that are not fit-for-purpose, and that suffer a long economic life of sub-standard pool water quality, excessive operating costs, high maintenance and repairs costs. The entire aquatic industry is built on a false economy of inferior pool water treatment systems and prohibitively expensive secondary treatment solutions which simply do not work.
- Australia’s eight states and territories each have set systemically different public health guidelines for pool water quality. This is not only inefficient, cost prohibitive and non-sensical, it is testament to a toxic culture where the authorities cannot be questioned. By contrast, the USA with it a population 13 times our size and 51 States, only One guideline exists, the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC). The US code – whilst not perfect – is written much better than any of the Australian states guidelines.
- Relative to the regulatory compliance environment for drowning prevention in residential pools, focusing on pool barriers, signage, etc., there is a notable absence of adequate oversight to ensure the health and safety of public pool water quality in Australia. This becomes problematic, when State Government is delegating oversight to Local Governments whom A.) own and operate public pools themselves, hence have a conflict of interest and B.) are not attracting sufficiently qualified aquatic experts, able to prevent diseases and chronic health conditions and C.) do not own the equipment or skills required to satisfy the measurement requirements of the guidelines.
Healthy Pool Water collaborates with industry leaders at higher standards for water quality, integrity and economic sustainability.
