Plenty O' Poop in Public Pools, According to CDC

There is plenty of poop in the public pools, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As the summer months quickly approach, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn people that here is poop in pools after a study of 161 pools in 2012.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found genetic material from E. coli bacteria in 58 percent of public pools they tested during the summer of 2012 according to Yahoo News.

Researchers also found Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which may cause skin rashes and ear infections, in 59 percent of pools according to Yahoo News.

The fecal material in pools comes from swimmers not showering before getting into the water, and from incidents of defecation in pools, according to the report. The average person has 0.14 grams of fecal material on their "perianal surface" that can rinse into a pool if a person doesn't shower first, according to the CDC report.

Researchers tested 161 pools only in the Atlanta region. The CDC noted that their findings may not apply to all pools, but said there is no reason to think that contamination or swimmer hygiene practices differ between pools in the study and those in the rest of the country according to Fox News.

The researchers collected samples of water from the pools' filters, and looked for the genetic material of specific bacteria according to Fox News.

The CDC also recommends that parents of young children take children on a bathroom break every hour, or check diapers every 30 to 60 minutes. Diapers should be changed in a diaper-changing area, not near the poolside, the CDC says.

"It is time to stop treating the swimming pool as a toilet," CDC's Michele Hlavasa told NBC News. "Nowhere else except for the pool is it acceptable to poop in public or pee in public. In other places if we did this in public, we'd be arrested."

As we wade off into the water of the public pools this year, remember to wash off before entering into any pool, not only for your health and safety, but also for the safety of your fellow pool patrons.