A Lloydminster pool is reassessing the safety of popular parties where foam is pumped into the water, after a particularly bubbly bash was named as the likely culprit for making swimmers break out in hives.
In a statement to CBC News, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said its environmental health unit was contacted on Feb. 7 by staff at the city-managed Bioclean Aquatic Centre after a number of pool users, including staff members, developed rashes.
There were reports of rashes affecting individuals using the pool between Feb. 7 and 13, the health authority said.
The health authority launched an investigation and interviewed more 20 individuals who were in the pool.
Water testing could not determine the specific cause of the rash but investigators believe a foam party hosted at the pool the week before may have been to blame.
“While there is no conclusive evidence that this was cause of the rash, it is possible that a chemical reaction was created between the foam and the chemicals already present in the pool water,” the health authority said in a statement.
Tests of the pool water determined that the water quality met safety standards, health officials said.
‘Spread like wildfire’
Lisa Saccucci, her husband and three young children went for a swim at the pool on Feb. 10.
The family had frequented the pool many times before without experiencing any problems. But the morning after their Feb. 10 visit, Saccucci’s eight-year-old son broke out in a severe rash.
Lisa Saccucci’s son broke out in painful hives after swimming at the Bioclean Aquatic Centre in Lloydminster. (Lisa Saccucci)
“My son woke up Tuesday morning covered in hives, head to toe,” Saccucci said. “He had about 80 per cent of his body covered, all over his legs and everything, and it just kind of spread like wildfire.
“And then my youngest daughter woke up Wednesday morning with a rash on her legs and her face.”
Saccucci took her son to emergency. He was given Benadryl, which he took every six hours for 10 days. He was ill enough that he missed a day of school. Saccucci’s daughter recovered with treatment at home.
Jason Tetro, an independent researcher in health-related microbiology and immunology, said the chemicals pumped into a pool during a foam party may have left a chlorine residue on the skin of the swimmers.
Soapy residue can “trap” chemicals like chlorine on the skin and create a delayed allergic reaction, Tetro said.
“If you’ve ever been into a pool, you come out and you smell like chlorine,” he said. “But then you take a shower and within a day or so you don’t smell the chlorine on yourself anymore.
“But if there is a chemical helping to keep the chlorine on your skin — we’re talking an oil or a surfactant — then that could improve the chances that the chlorine would end up into the matrix of the skin.
“At that point you would could see the potential for a release later on, when someone is sweating or they get a little bit too warm.”
‘No irregularities’ found
In a statement, officials with the City of Lloydminster said there have been no additional reports of skin irritations since Feb. 15 and “no irregularities” have been found in the water.
Pool management will consult with the Saskatchewan Health Authority before making a decision about hosting any foam parties in the future, the city said.
The Bioclean Aquatic Centre has hosted similar events in past years with no reports of skin irritations, the city said. Any visitors experiencing symptoms are encouraged to report them directly to pool staff.
Despite assurances from the city, Saccucci is reluctant about returning to the pool.
“I just want them to take some responsibility because it’s such a public place. It’s always full of people and we really enjoy going but this is making me apprehensive.”