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AUG-15-1995 16:59 FROH TO ?09478171-6-563541 P.02 PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Refer reply to: TOXICS EPIDEMIOLOGY PROGRAM pOBERT C- GATES, Dirmtor 2615 S. Grand Ave., Room 607, Los Angeles, CA 90007 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES (213) 744-3235 DEPT.OF HEALTH SERVICES FAX (213) 744-3358 313 North Figueroa Street Los Angetes.CA 90012 (213)974. SPECIAL 213)97d- SPECIAL REPORT: USE OF SWIMMING POOLS FOR EMERGENCY DRINEING WATER l' Richard Kebabjian, MPH, EHS Paul J. Papanek, Jr., MD MPH `. February 7, 1994 L �AG�G�4Nv In the event of a devastating earthquake or other natural disaster in Los Angeles County, water supplies might be cut off for days or even for weeks, Disaster planners have advised residents to stockpile drinking water along with other emergency supplies, anticipating that each resident will require at least 1 or 2 gallons of water a day for drinking, washing, and cooking. In Southern California, both public and private swimming pools could provide ample drinking water in such an emergency. All municipal and other T public pools, including swimming pools in apartment complexes and the like, are subject to licensure and periodic inspection by County Health Department officials, and in general are well maintained, In the past, some emergency response agencies have advised residents that swimming pool water may not be safe to drink because of accumulation of certain Chemicals in the water. However, it has appeared to us that in many cases it may be quite safe to drink swimming pool water for up to a few weeks. This report analyzes the safety of swimming pool water for drinking over a two-week period. In theory, swimming pool water used for drinking might pose a health risk if contaminated either by chemicals or by microbial pathogens. This report will not focus in detail on microbial risks. In general, case reports of waterborne infectious disease from pools tend to be relatively infrequent, and in such cases some breakdown in maintenance has usually been found (Herwaldt, 1991; Craun, 1986). 'Thus, it is probably reasonable to conclude that a well maintained pool with an adequate free chlorine residual, roughly 1 to 2 ppm of chlorine, ought to pose very little risk of transmitting a waterborne infectious disease. At the end of this paper, we include recommendations for disinfecting pool water if there is doubt about how well the pool has been maintained, or if the pools has used disinfectants that do not leave a disinfectant residual, such as copper/silver generators, ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide, or ozonators. We intend these remarks to apply specifically to pools, particularly municipal and other public pools, that have been well maintained and which use chlorine as a disinfectant, In order to be conservative or health- protective in our analysis, we have carried out our risk assessment on small pools, because the concentration of various contaminants is likely to be