Healthy Swimming Fast Facts

Information on Healthy Swimming and Recreational Water

• There are 8.8 million residential and public-use swimming pools in the United States (1).
• In the United States during 2007, there were approximately 339 million pool visits each year by persons over the age of six (2).
• Forty-one percent of children aged 7-17 years, and 17.4% of adults in the United States, swim at least six times per year (2).
• There are over 6.6 million hot tubs in operation in the United States (3).
• Sunburn is a risk factor for both basal cell carcinoma and melanoma (types of skin cancer). In 2003, a total of 45,625 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States, and 7,818 persons died from the disease (4).
• Over 12 percent (13,532 of 111,487) of pool inspections conducted during 2008 resulted in an immediate closure, pending the correction of the violations (5).
• A total of 78 recreational water-associated outbreaks affecting 4,412 persons were reported to CDC for 2005-2006, the largest number of outbreaks ever reported in a 2-year period (6).
• Of 48 recreational-water associated outbreaks of gastroenteritis during 2005-2006, 64.6% were caused by one chlorine-resistant parasite: Cryptosporidium (6).
• Of 35 gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with treated (for example, chlorinated) recreational water venues, 82.8% were caused by Cryptosporidium (6).
• Because of its resistance to chlorine, Cryptosporidium (Crypto) has become the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with swimming pool venues (7). Reporting of cryptosporidiosis cases increased 208 percent from 2004 (3,411) to 2008 (10,500) (8).
• Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of all unintentional injury deaths in children aged 1-14 years and the 7th leading cause of unintentional injury death for all ages (9).
• Among 0-4 year olds, 69% of drownings for which the location was known occurred in swimming pools (10)
• In the United States in 2007, almost 32 million individuals participated in motor or power boat activities (2)
• In 2006, 3,474 persons were injured and 710 died while boating (11).
• The U.S. Coast Guard’s 2006 statistics stated that approximately 87 percent of boaters who drowned were not wearing life jackets (12).

1. Hubbard R. U.S. Swimming Pool Industry Experiences Downturn in 2007. Pool and Spa Marketing. March (2009a):12-13. Available at www.poolspamarketing.com/public/stats/pdf/2007_US_Swiming_Pool_Stats.pdf [PDF - 543 kb]
2. U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 Statistical Abstract of the United States. Recreation and leisure activities: participation in selected sports activities 2006. Available at www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s1212.pdf [PDF - 454 kb]
3. Hubbard R. U.S. Hot Tub Sales Not so Hot in 2007. Pool and Spa Marketing. March (2009b):14. Available at www.poolspamarketing.com/public/stats/pdf/2007_US_Hot_Tub_Stats.pdf [PDF - 465 kb]
4. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States cancer statistics: 1999--2003 incidence and mortality web based report. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Cancer Institute; 2006. Available at www.cdc.gov/uscs.
5. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010. Violations Identified from Routine Swimming Pool Inspections---Selected States and Counties, United States, 2008. MMWR 59(19): 582-587. Available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5919a2.htm
6. Yoder, S.J. et al. Surveillance for Waterborne Diseases and Outbreaks Associated with Recreational Water Use and Other Aquatic Facility-Associated Health Events – United States, 2005-2006. 2008: MMWR 57 (No. SS-9): 1-38. Available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5709a1.htm?s_cid=ss5709a1_e.
7. Shields J.M., Gleim E.R., Beach M.J. Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia intestinalis in swimming pools, Atlanta, Georgia. 2008. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Available at www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/6/948.htm.
8. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010. Cryptosporidiosis Surveillance---United States, 2006--2008. MMWR 59(SS06): 1-14. Available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5906a1.htm?s_cid=ss5906a1_w.
9. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2009. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services. Available at www.cdc.gov/ncipe/wisqars.
10. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal and Fatal Drownings in Recreational Water Settings – United States, 2001--2002. MMWR 2004;53(21):447--452. Available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5321a1.htm.
11. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Boating Safety. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/boatingsafety.htm
12. National Safe Boating Council. Life Jacket Facts. Available at www.safeboatingcampaign.com/facts.htm.