Small children should wear plastic pants or special swim diapers in pools

Health officials offer tips on what to assess

ATLANTA (CNN) -- A recent outbreak of E. coli linked to a Georgia water park is causing some parents to wonder if allowing their children to splash around in public pools is safe.

"I was more concerned about it, after I read yesterday's paper about what's happening at Whitewater," one Atlanta-area parent said.

The rare outbreak of a deadly form of E. coli bacterium, traced to a child defecating in a children's wading pool in the park, has sickened at least 10 children from Georgia and other states.

But health officials said parents should not be unduly alarmed.

"Be aware of the possibility that there are diseases and infections that anyone can get from any pool, not necessarily a public, but even in their own pool," said John Gormley of the Fulton County Health Department. "The key is to make sure the water's tested throughout the day."

Parents advised to look at pool records

State or country health departments set their own regulations for swimming pool quality. But how can parents be sure a pool is up to standards?

"I would say, speaking as a guy with a 3-year-old, if I go to a pool I want to make sure that the health department has inspected this pool and has given it permission to open for the year," said Pat Koffman of the health department in Cobb County where the water park is located. "I may ask to look at those records."

Health officials suggest parents check pools' chlorine or disinfectant levels

Koffman said a pool's chlorine and disinfectant levels should be one to five parts per million and the pH level in the 7.2 to 7.8 range. The pool's water should be clear enough to see to the bottom.

Young children in the pool should not be wearing regular diapers, but rather plastic pants or swim diapers.

Health experts said that just as parents take precautions against drowning, they need to consider water quality and ask questions before letting their kids take the plunge.