Despite rains here in Boston that could only make Noah happy, Summer is really here.
Before you relax and enjoy yourself in the usual ways, consider my earlier reports that grilling meat will kill you, your swimming pool will kill you, and the Sun will kill you. And don't even think about a staycation.
Ok, you say, why not just slather on 5 gallons of SPF 5000 sunblock and head to the beach?
Because the sand will kill you. Or at least make you sick. According to a study by some people in white coats, people who play in beach sand were 20-24 percent more likely to report gastrointestinal illness and diarrhea than those who just looked at it with horror and ran away.
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4 comments:
Are these people ingesting sand? Inhaling it? I'd like to know how this is possible?
As always, washing your hands after touching ANYTHING (including a grain of sand) is the best policy.
Thanks for the heads up, Worried Dad.
Hm. Not sure about 20-24%. The GI rate was 7% for those didn't play in sand, compared with 8% for those who did. Diarrhea rate was 4% versus 6%. You could call that a 14% increase for the GI risk and a 50% increase for diarrhea, but the adjusted odds ratios are 1.13 and 1.20. Neither seems like 20% or 24% Anyways, risk is pretty small. But higher for those who were buried in sand, or got sand in the mouth. Plus some specific beaches were significantly worse, which may be the real story. Don't blame the sand, blame the people who crapped in the sand (or upstream from it). -PNC
I took the numbers from the Washington Post health reporters http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/07/does_sand_make_you_sick.html?wprss=checkup who probably misread them. Anyway, I'm cutting back my sand intake to three tablespoons per outing just to be safe.
You do realize that your taking all the fun out of the summer for all of us?
Just back from Palm Springs with 110 degree heat. There is not a germ in the world that's gonna live in those conditions. Hell, I just barely made it out alive...
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