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Engineers at Stanford have been combing West Coast beaches to show how beach sand is just as capable of passing along harmful bacteria as ocean water.
The study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, found that sand at beaches all along the California coast contained some level of fecal indicator bacteria — 91 percent of the beaches in the study had detectable levels of enterococci and that 62 percent of them had traces of E. coli.
Contaminated beach sands can act as bacteria sources and polluted sand is probably going to act as a source of fecal indicator bacteria to coastal waters-and will impact beach closures and advisories, explained Boehm.
Only rarely in my life have I frequented beaches without some kind of buffer between my body and the sand. Usually towels, but sometimes just coolers or paper bags lined up together–anything! One must protect one’s self from the microbial buried treasures of the loitering masses, right? I mean, the things we’ve all seen go down at beaches…I’m thinking in particular of San Diego’s famed “Dog Beach.” Just a complete free-for-all.
You have more bacteria on your skin, in your gut, in your eyes, in your ears, on your head, and in all other orfices (including those unmentionable places) than all the cells in your entire body.
Not surprised about the enterococci in sand… you can it find most everywhere — including your mouth. :) yum.
posted by micx on 8-13-2007 at 6:02 pm
For a minute there, you ruined my happy place! Then I remembered things I’ve heard about movie theater seats and hotel blankets and carpets, but I still go to the movies and stay in hotels, so I suppose I’ll still go to the beach when I get the chance. Luckily, I just don’t have the energy to have OCD.
posted by cm on 8-13-2007 at 8:48 pm
No joke, Becky. There’s poop in there, especially off the coast of LA. I know a guy who’s dying of a heart infection he picked up from surfing off Venice Beach. Yeggh.
posted by Ransom on 8-14-2007 at 12:35 am
Actually, the American Council on Science and Health has stated that you would have to scoop up huge chunks of sand and eat them to ingest enough ecoli to hurt you. See HealthFactsandFears.com, June 8, 2007. If there were really a problem, wouldn’t you be hearing about all the sick people from dog beach? But you don’t….
posted by Stephanie on 8-15-2007 at 7:38 am