Aug 21, 2006
Canadian Press: ROSS MAROWITS
MONTREAL (CP) – A cocktail of bacteria, parasites and viruses in the water of Montreal’s swimming pools has forced the city to close two-thirds of its outdoor facilities.
Mayor Gerald Tremblay asked mayors of the city’s 19 boroughs to close 48 of the city’s 73 outdoor pools following a media investigation. “Public health is important for our administration,” Tremblay said Monday at a news conference. “We have to make sure that the safety our pools for our children and their parents is absolutely perfect.”
Tests found high levels of E. coli, C. difficile, Legionella, Hepatitis A, and Giardia, which can cause various reactions, including diarrhea, nausea, eye and skin irritations and respiratory problems.

The tests also discovered the presence of fecal matter, urine and suntan lotion.
The pool closings were ordered following an investigation by tabloid Le Journal de Montreal and the TVA television network.
One-third of the pools failed tests conducted by BioMedco, a private firm hired by the media outlets. Another third of the pools had samples that failed to meet accepted standards.
Three samples were taken from each pool between July 8 and Aug. 1.
In all, some 4,560 samples were evaluated.
Tremblay said all 73 Montreal pools will be retested, along with 80 wading pools used by young children, even though they weren’t included in the media examination.
“We will redo the tests to ensure are pools are safe for children and their parents.”
The city’s health department said it has received no information that anyone has become ill as a result of the water quality.
But people don’t always make a connection between swimming in a pool and ailments such as skin irritations and diarrhea, said Dr. John Carsley, head of the public health department.
The tests suggested that in some pools, coliform contamination was four times provincial norms.
“The issue is this is an index of risk and the higher the bacterial contamination, the more likely it is that something will happen,” Carsley said.
He said he’s not sure if it has ever been studied whether it’s possible to get C. difficile from swimming pools.
Unlike other provinces, pool safety falls under the Quebec’s Environment Department rather than local public health departments.
Carsley said the city acted properly by closing the pools until further tests are conducted.
Chlorine is added as a disinfectant after city lifeguards conduct poolside tests every two to three hours.
But too much can also cause health problems.
One of the pools used for last summer’s world aquatics championships actually had too much chlorine, concluded the media tests.
The right mix of chlorine is sufficient to kill most bacteria, said Janka Corewyn, acting supervisor beaches and outdoor pools in Vancouver.
“We feel that any organic matter which would be the cause for health concerns that is definitely dealt with the chlorine,” she said.
The City of Vancouver ensures the safety of its 15 indoor and outdoor pools by keeping chlorine levels at 2.5 parts per million. British Columbia regulations require at least one part per million.
“As soon as we see it going below that 2.5 parts per million, we’re definitely acting on it.”
In Toronto, public health inspectors conduct at least four examinations per year of every public pool, and two inspections of summer facilities. The inspections are designed to prevent drownings as well as chemical chemical shortcomings.
“Water contamination that can affect human health is a serious concern for us,” said Reg Ayre, manager of Toronto Public Health.
Pool operators frequently complain that inspectors are too strict, he said.
“But we would rather do that than have a major outbreak or have to answer to an inquest when something goes wrong,” he said.
“E. coli is a marker for fecal contamination and if you are starting see bacterial contamination, you’ve then got to start asking the question what is the pool chemistry like.”
The mayor of Montreal’s LaSalle borough, where the some of the city’s worst results were found, announced a series of steps Monday to ensure the situation is corrected before next weekend.
Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard said he will ask department officials to add water quality to the recommendations he has asked for regarding the safety of public pools.