Swimming in the Sea Linked to Increased Illness Risk

Dr Anne Leonard said the findings suggest pollution affects swimmers in some of the world's richest countries (Getty Images)

Jenny Walrond-

Researchers at University of Exeter Medical School and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology discovered that people that swim in the sea are 77% more likely to suffer from an earache and 29% more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal illnesses, compared to other individuals that do not frequently spend time in seawater. Many illnesses, such as cholera, can be acquired by bathing in unclean water, however it has always been assumed that this was not a problem for high-income countries, where water quality is much cleaner than that of other, lower income countries. The study was conducted with participants from only high-income countries, such as the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and Norway. The researchers of the study believe that the results are an indication of pollution present in the seawater in high-income countries and its resulting effects on swimmers.

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