title: [Real and irrelevant risks of infection by swimming in recreational bodies of water].
abstract: Life-threatening infectious diseases associated with recreational water exposure are possible but occur very rarely. About eighty per cent of all infections due to bathing water produced gastroenteritis, the remaining were spontaneously healing infections of ear, nose and throat as well as eye and respiratory symptoms. They are caused by endogenic and exogenic agents. The risk, i.e. the mean frequency of such commonplace diseases associated with bathing or swimming is already doubled by endogenic infectious agents even without any etiological agents in the recreational water. The additional risk by exogenic infectious agents increases with the concentration of fecal markers. The prescribed limit E coli value of 200 CFU per 100 ml of the EU guidelines for bathing waters corresponds to a risk increased by the factor 7-8. The Bathing Water Committee of the German Federal Environmental Agency issued new recommendations prescribing severely lowered limit values. For example, the Committee called for 100 CFU of E. coli per 100 ml. However, there are economical and legal objections as well as doubts regarding the Committee's scientific competence. The lower limit values are associated with high expenses for communities and bathers without recognizable returns in terms of efficiency. Furthermore, they offend against the legal principle of equality because newly constructed pools are not different from bathing water regulated according to EU guidelines. Finally, the Bathing Water Committee holds scientifically incorrect views on infectious agents and on the risks in recreational waters.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D001493:Bathing Beaches / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D012306:Risk; D013551:Swimming Pools / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014871:Water Microbiology
vernacular_title: Uber reale und irreale Infektionsrisiken beim Baden in Oberflächengewässern.