Fecal bacteria levels in beach sand can be 100 times higher than nearby seawater

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The weather is expected to heat up again this week, which means people will be flocking to local beaches.

But what about when the beach is closed?

We’re often told to pay attention to the fecal matter count; too high a count in the water can make it unsafe to swim and shutter a beach.

Less than two weeks ago, we found out fecal bacteria levels were much higher than normal in False Creek. But new research published by the American Chemical Society has looked at those same levels in sand.

“What we found is that generally it takes much longer for fecal matter to dissipate in beach sand than in seawater. And exactly how long that takes would depend on local conditions,” says Dr. Tao Yan with the University of Hawaii.

Scientists have been finding fecal bacteria in beach sand at levels between 10 to 100 times higher than in nearby seawater. That’s usually because of wastewater being dumped into the ocean.

Yan says those levels pose a significant risk to public health.

He doubts people are aware.

“I saw people when the beach is closed. They don’t go into the water but they keep playing in the sand, so that tells me that some of them assume the sand is still better than the water. But actually, that might not be the case.”

He says if a beach is closed for that reason, you should probably say clear of the sand as well as the water. Exposure or ingestion can cause stomach aches, diarrhea, and rashes.

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