title: [New rules of the bathing water quality management].
abstract: Directive 2006/7/EC concerning the management of bathing water quality and repealing directive 76/160/ EEC, adopted in 2006, resulted in changes polish laws and regulations of this topic, which were necessary to comply with the new Directive. These included Water Act and three regulations: on bathing water quality surveillance, on bathing waters register and on bathing water profile. The main changes in the sanitary surveillance on bathing waters quality and their consequences for bathers has been discussed in the article. According to new regulations conducting bathing water quality monitoring was handed over to organizers of bathing sites and local government. Bathing water supervision and water quality assessment is in Polish Sanitary Inspection competence. Unique solution of polish law is division of bathing places into two categories: bathing sites and places used for bathing. In a consequence regulations "create" another category of such objects like places used according to custom for bathing by neighbourhood people, which will be left without any supervision. There is significant threat that new formal aspects combined with organisers burdened with supervision and finance responsibilities, will lead to decrease number of bathing sites in favour of growing number of places used for bathing. This can in consequence diminish bathers health safety.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Higieny Srodowiska, Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego - Państwowy Zakład Higieny w Warszawie. kskotak@pzh.gov.pl
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skotak
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bratkowski
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maziarka
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamsheer-Bratkowska
mesh_terms: D001493:Bathing Beaches / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D005062:European Union; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D011044:Poland; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D011786:Quality Control; D013551:Swimming Pools / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D014871:Water Microbiology / Q000592:standards*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards*