游泳池里的水是否干净?

Everybody loves the swimming pool. But how clean is the water in the average backyard or public pool? If you trust chlorine to take care of germs, you're in for a surprise. 

每个人都喜欢游泳。但，普通的自家后院的泳池和公共泳池中的水干净吗？如果你信任氯的杀毒功效，本文会让你大吃一惊。

Chlorine and other disinfectants do indeed help to clean the water, but some germs can survive in even the best-kept pool. For example, cryptosporidium may live in pool water for several days. Crypto causes a diarrheal illness and may rinse off the bodies of infected people or diapered children into the pool. If you swallow infected pool water, you may become sick.

氯和其他一些杀菌剂的确可以帮助净水，但就算在卫生条件最好的泳池里，一些细菌仍然能够存活。比如，隐孢子虫能够引起人的腹泻，并可以在泳池中存活几天。受感染者或使用尿布的儿童都能将隐孢子虫带到泳池内。如果你呛了口有隐孢子虫滋生的池水，你可能会生病。

Other germs may live for a few minutes or a few hours in a chlorinated pool: Giardia, Shigella, and E. Coli may cause diarrheal illnesses. Pseudomonas Aeruginosa may cause an ear infection called swimmer's ear and also a skin infection called "hot tub rash," that is usually associated with very warm pools and spas.

在用氯消毒过的泳池内，有些细菌能够存活几分钟或是几小时：鞭毛虫，志贺氏杆菌，大肠杆菌。它们都能引起腹泻。通常，在水温较高的泳池和温泉中，绿脓杆菌能感染人的耳部和皮肤，导致游泳性耳炎和毛囊炎的发生。

While keeping the correct chlorine and ph levels will minimize water-borne illness, prevention is also a good idea. Keep diapered children in the water for only brief periods and keep sick people out of the water altogether. And, don't ever swallow pool water.

控制好水中的氯的含量和PH值会减少水传播疾病的可能，除此之外，做好防护工作也是一条可行之路。不让还戴尿布的孩子长时间在水中逗留，生病的人都不要下水。还有，不要呛到池水。