Hotel Hot tubs / spas

[MostlyLurkingGal]

I have a friend who has to take her son up to the Mayo Clinic every 3 weeks for immune deficiency (something like that) treatments, sometimes being there for days, sometimes weeks. They stay at a hotel that has an indoor pool and spa. She lets him play in them because he enjoys it so much. I suggested to her to get some test strips from me for the next trip. I think that would be a good idea for checking the chlorine level, but should the PH or ALK be of any concern for them too? I just want to make sure there is no bacteria or bad stuff in the tub, so if there is chlorine registering, that should not be a problem, right?

[Chas]

I have a customer who has some sort of immune deficiency. I don't know the details, but his doc would not let him buy a tub unless it had ozone (standard on the tubs I sell) and an ultra violet sterilizer. I found an old friend who just hired onto a company who sells UV gear, and he set me up. The unit plugs into an outlet added on the ozone line, and is designed for 5-10 gpm, exactly what the tub has. We added it in line after the heater but before the ozone injector.

The customer has enjoyed better health since he got the tub than in the previous few years.

 8-)

[Vanguard]

Okay, this is my opinion.  Hotels don't do a good job at taking care of their spas.

I attended a pool heater school and learned about all the diseases that can come from improperly treated spas.  

If I were to advise your friend, tell them to be very very careful swimming in public pools and spas - especially if her son has an immune deficiency problem.  

I don't trust them for myself and I'm healthy.  Just my two cents.

[Zep]

i advise they be very careful considering the following:

Recreational Water Iillness

Keep in mind that you share the water with everyone else in
the pool, spa, lake, or ocean.

Diarrheal Illnesses

If swimmers are ill with diarrhea, the germs that they carry can contaminate the water if they have an "accident" in the pool. On average, people have about 0.14 grams of feces on their bottoms which, when rinsed off, can contaminate recreational water. When people are ill with diarrhea, their stool can contain
millions of germs. Therefore, swimming when ill with diarrhea can easily
contaminate pools, hot tubs, or waterparks.

So, if someone swallows water that has been contaminated with feces, he/she may become sick. Many of these diarrhea-causing germs do not have to be swallowed in large amounts to cause illness.

Other RWIs
Many other RWIs (skin, ear, eye, respiratory, neurologic, and wound infections) are caused by germs that live naturally in the environment (water, soil). In the pool or hot tub, if disinfectant is not maintained at the appropriate levels, these germs can increase to the point where they can cause illness when swimmers breathe or have contact with water containing these germs.

Mayo Clinic physicians look for cause of 'hot tub lung'

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- As the number of hot tubs in the United States continues to grow, physicians are likely to see an increase in "hot tub lung" cases. Mayo Clinic researchers in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings present two cases and offer their conclusions as to the cause of the patients' lung inflammation.
The two patients with respiratory problems showed improvement with the use of corticosteroids and discontinuing the use of the hot tub, the researchers report. The researchers suspect that mycobacteria caused an inflammation of the patients' lungs that was brought about by use of a hot tub.

"We recommend that physicians maintain a high index of suspicion for hot tub lung and include questions about hot tub use in their routine review of symptoms in patients with respiratory problems," said Otis Rickman, D.O., of the Mayo Clinic Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and Internal Medicine and the chief author of the report.

Mayo Clinic researchers said past reports have incompletely characterized the disease associated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) growing in hot tub water. It is unclear from the reports whether this disorder is an infection or hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The researchers also noted that all of the reported cases of hot tub lung have been associated with a hot tub indoors at a personal residence.

Hot tubs provide an excellent growth environment for MAC; the warm temperature promotes growth and owners frequently do not clean them or change filters as often as recommended. At temperatures higher than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, chlorine loses much of its disinfectant properties. The researchers note that the steam and bubbles generated efficiently aerosolize the organism, facilitating easy inhalation.

[wmccall]

I've never had a problem.  You will find far more germs in a lot of more common places.  Now, I'm not a child with a particular immune problem.  Maybe they can take some dichlor and put it in an hour before they go in.

[Zep]

After reading more about  Hot Tub Lung it seems that it is alot
more common with indoor tubs!


"The steam and bubbles generated by the hot tub efficiently aerosolize the organism and facilitate easy inhalation. When hot tubs are outdoors, the mist simply disperses. But in an indoor setting, the aerosol is more likely to be contained and subsequently inhaled. Placement of a hot tub in an enclosed or poorly ventilated environment should be discouraged."

[Reese]

Given the features that have been done on TV newsmagazines about the amount of germs that are found on common hotel room items after "cleaning", I wonder if using the tub/pool is any more risky than spending an hour watching TV in the room?

[MostlyLurkingGal]

Thanks for all your input!  

[Zep]

re:"germs that are found on common hotel room"

Yep....just think motels wash/clean the sheets after each guest.

But most motels don't wash the bedspread after each guest.

And just think of all that "foulness" that goes on motel bedspreads!

YUCK!

[Vanguard]

Since the boy has immune deficiency, I think extra protections are in order.  Unless you know the water is being cared for properly, I wouldn't chance it.

[MostlyLurkingGal]

Since the boy has immune deficiency, I think extra protections are in order.  Unless you know the water is being cared for properly, I wouldn't chance it.

I agree, but I'm not the mom. I just wanted some feedback from you all...
I might print this all when it dies down to show her tho.

[Reese]

I always get nervous when the topic is medical advice.  The level of risk that is appropriate depends on the nature of the child's medical condition, and the treating physician should be in a much better position than an internet hot-tub forum to recomend appropriate activities and safeguards.  I think it is great that you are concerned for them, and suggesting that some people are concerned about sanitation of hotel pools, and that they might want to discuss it with their doctor is a good idea.  Perhaps the idea of sending a bottle of test strips with to verify that the pool is being properly sanitized is a good precaution--if your friend can determine what is used, so she interprets the results correctly -- but sanitizing the pool should be left to building management, who should know the routine, schedule, chemicals and amounts that are appropriate for the situation.

[Zep]

Beware of the doctors too....they often mis-diagnos hot tub lung!

"Although most had been to the doctor, they were misdiagnosed with asthma or bronchitis, he tells WebMD. "It is difficult to diagnose if you don't think of asking about a hot tub, but nobody thinks of it. Therefore, most patients have been diagnosed with something else."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/24/health/webmd/main697539.shtml

[Reese]

Beware of the doctors too....they often mis-diagnos hot tub lung!

22 cases seems a like a small sample to make a statement of "often".  The article states that it is unknown how common this is.  Doctors are educated, not omniscient.  Their diagnostic ability is limited to the information at hand.  Only a small percentage of the population has access to a hot tub, so it seems reasonable to me that it took 22 cases before a common denominator was identified.  I would imagine if the patients disclose the hot tub exposure early on, accurate diagnosis is more likely.

[Zep]

re: "22 cases seems a like a small sample to make a statement of "often".


CBS and the BBC both use the word "often" in their
articles about doctors often misdiagnosing hot tub lung.


"Dr Rose said the respiratory problem was often misdiagnosed as sarcidosis, which is characterised by inflamed, microscopic growths called granulomas most often found in the lungs. "This disease mimics other granulomatous lung diseases, but few people understand the link between hot tub exposure and the symptoms of disease. "Because luxury items like hot tubs are becoming more common, I believe there will be an increasing recognition and understanding of the risk associated with their use among doctors and consumers."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/742285.stm

http://lungdiseases.about.com/b/a/172287.htm