Swimmers in state parks beware of E. coli

E.coli, found in the gastrointestinal tract, can come from sewage, animal waste, water run-off after rainfall, and swimmers, said Dan Miller II, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Parks test three samples from their lakes twice a week and recreational areas will close swimming areas when 235 colonies or higher are found per 1,000 milliliters of water. At that level, swimmers have an increased risk of getting sick, said Miller.

“By the time you get the results, the damage is already done. People have been swimming in the water for awhile,” said Jeffrey Butia, chief of the public drinking water and waste management program of the Allegheny County Health Department.

A person can catch a recreational water illness from swallowing the water, breathing it in, or having contact with contaminated water. Problems can include gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurological and wound infections. The most commonly reported sickness is diarrhea.

More than swimmers are affected by contaminated water. Fishermen should practice good personal hygiene and wash their hands before handling or preparing food or after handling fish to prevent illness.

Due to the multiple causes of gastrointestinal illness, many cases of E. coli contamination go undetected, Miller said. Young children are highly sensitive, as well as people who have open cuts, weakened immune systems, the elderly, and people with HIV and organ transplants, said Carl Batt, a professor of food science at Cornell University.

Unlike other states, Pennsylvania only tests for fecal coliform and not for other potentially toxic bacteria.