Meanwhile, the University of Exeter and the University of Galway are collaborating to BlueAdapt ProjectSupported by Horizon Europe and UK Research and Innovation.
Researchers asked everyone who had ever been to a beach, used coastal waters and used the free Surfers Against Sewage smartphone app: Safer sea and river servicesTake part in our online survey.
Resistance
The Safer Seas and Rivers Service provides up-to-date pollution forecasts and alerts to help people make informed decisions about when and where it is safe to go into the water.
The survey is ongoing and will run until the end of October. The goal is to find out whether access to reliable, real-time information on water quality influences swimmers’ behavior and reduces preventable diseases.
Professor Will Gaines, from the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health, said: “Our aim is to provide evidence to inform decisions to reduce risks to water users and inform changes to protect the natural environment.
“This study is timely given the rapid increase in antibiotic-resistant infections and is particularly concerning given the growing concern about river and coastal water quality.”
Case Study: “We noticed that more people got sick after swimming.”
For the past four years, Hannah Pearson has been waking up every morning before 6am to take a dip in the refreshingly swirling Dart River before heading to work.
For 47-year-old Hannah, the ritual began after she began experiencing decreased lung capacity following her coronavirus infection, and she believes it helped her recover.
The mum-of-two, from Dartington, South Devon, said: “There is something very special about immersing yourself in cold, natural water. I love the privilege of being close to nature and seeing it, but I feel like there are fewer fish these days. There are also amazing physiological benefits to swimming, too. You feel energised and happy after a swim.
“But in the last few years we’ve seen people get sick. I recently had a severe skin infection that left me with a rash all over my body after swimming in the river.”
In response, Hannah founded Friends of the River Dart to help distribute the Poo-Sticks research. “It’s so important for our communities to have access to clean, fresh water,” Hannah said. “This research is essential. We need to understand the health impacts of river pollution and do everything we can to preserve good water quality for the benefit of the planet and people.”
Case Study: “Swimming in the Ocean Helped Me Overcome My Grief”
When her father died, Abigail Dixon began swimming regularly in the ocean as part of her journey to cope with her grief. Abby, 48, now swims regularly in the waves with her husband and two teenage daughters, but says she is cautious about the water levels.
“Swimming in the ocean has become really important to me,” said Abby, from Exeter. “When my dad passed away, I found it really healing. It’s a really healthy activity that brings the family together and is really good for your mental health.
“I’ve been swimming less this year than I’d like. I hated the water quality warnings that came out in April and warned my daughters not to put their heads in the water. It’s disgusting to think about, but we still swim because the benefits to our physical and mental health are so important to us.”
“This new research from the University of Exeter is really important. We need to understand what the risks to human health really are so we can make informed decisions and so that decision makers and companies can understand the level of harm to health.”
This author
Brendan Montague is the editor. Ecologist. This article is based on a press release from the University of Exeter.
Swimmers interested in participating in the ‘Poo-Sticks’ study can find more information here. https://bit.ly/poo-sticks
Coastal swimmers, surfers and paddlers interested in taking part in the BlueAdapt survey can find more information here. https://blueadapt.eu/ocean-user-health-survey/
