The risks of swimming

Swimming is a healthy activity and enjoys a low risk of injury compared with many other

sports. Nevertheless there are some health risks with swimming, including the following:

· Drowning, inhalation of water arising from

o Adverse water conditions swamping or overwhelming theswimmer or causing water inhalation.

o Actions of others pushing under water accidentally in play orintentionally.

o Exhaustion or unconsciousness.

o Incapacitation through shallow water blackout, heart attacks,carotid sinus syncope or stroke.

· Adverse effects of immersion

o Secondary drowning, where inhaled salt water creates a foamin the lungs that restricts

o breathing.

o Salt water aspiration syndrome.

o Thermal shock after jumping into water can cause the heart tostop.

o Exostosis which is an abnormal growth in the ear canal due tothe frequent, long-term splashing of water into the ear canal. (Known as Swimmer's ear.)

· Exposure to chemicals

o Disinfectant Chlorine will increase the pH of the water, ifuncorrected the raised pH may cause eye or skin irritations.

o Chlorine inhalation; breathing small quantities of chlorine gasfrom the water surface whilst

o swimming for long periods oftime may have an adverse effect on the lungs, particularly forasthmatics. This problem may be resolved by using a pool with better ventilation, with an outdoor

o pool having the best results.

o Chlorine also has a negative cosmetic effect after repeated long exposure, stripping brown

o hair of all color, turning it very lightblonde. Chlorine damages the structure of hair, turning

o it "frizzy." Chlorine can dissolve copper which turns blonde hairgreen. Proper pool

o maintenance can reduce the amount ofcopper in the water, while wetting the hair before

o entering a pool can help reduce the absorption of copper.

o Chlorine will often remain on skin in an anhydrous form, even after several washings. The

o chlorine becomes odorous once it isback in an aqueous solution (when salivated on, during

o ashower, etc.).

· Infection

o Water is an excellent environment for many bacteria,parasites, fungi and viruses affecting

o humans depending on water quality.

o Skin infections from both swimming and shower rooms cancause athlete's foot (boat bug). The easiest way to avoid this isto dry the space between the toes.

o Microscopic parasites such as Cryptosporidium can be resistantto chlorine and can cause

o diarrheal illness when swimmersswallow pool water.

o Ear infections, otitis media, ( otitis externa).

o When chlorine levels are improperly balanced, severe healthproblems may result, such as

o chronic bronchitis and asthma.

· Swimmer's own actions

o Overuse injury; competitive butterfly stroke swimmers forexample may develop some back pain, including vertebral fractures in rare cases, and shoulder pain after long years of

o training, breaststroke swimmers may develop knee pain, andhip pain.

o Freestyle and backstroke swimmers may develop impingement syndrome, a form of

o tendinitis, commonly referred to as swimmer's shoulder.

o Hyperventilation in a bid to extend underwater breath-holdtimes lowers blood carbon

o dioxide resulting in suppression of the urge to breathe and consequent loss of consciousness

o towards the end of the dive, see shallow water blackout for the mechanism.

· Adverse water and weather conditions

o Currents, including tides and rivers can cause exhaustion, canpull swimmers away from safety, or pull swimmers underwater.

o Wind enhances waves and can blow a swimmer off course.

o Hypothermia, due to cold water, can cause rapid exhaustionand unconsciousness.

o Sunburn severity can be increased by reflections in the waterand the lack of clothing worn

o during swimming. Long-termexposure to the sun contributes to risk of skin cancer.

· Objects in the water

o Propeller damage is a major cause of accidents, either by

o being run over by a boat or entanglement on climbing into a boat.

o Collision with another swimmer, the pool walls, rocks or boats.

o Diving into a submerged object, or the bottom, often in turbidwater.

o Snagging on underwater objects, particularly submergedbranches or wrecks.

o Stepping on sharp objects such as broken glass.

· Aquatic life

o Stings from jellyfish and some corals.

o Piercings caused by sea urchins, zebra mussels, stingrays.

o Bites from sharks and other fish and snakes, and pinches fromlobsters or crabs.

o Electrocution from electric rays and electric eels.

Organizations publish safety guidelines to help swimmers avoidthese risks.

Swimming lessons

Children are often given swimming lessons, which serve to developswimming technique and

confidence. Children generally do notswim independently until 4 years of age.

In Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, the curriculum for the fifth grade states that all

children should learn how to swim as well as how to handle emergencies near water. Most

commonly, children are expected to be able to swim 200 metres (220 yards) –of which at least 50 metres (55 yards) on their back – after firstfalling into deep water and

getting their head under water. Even though about 95 percent of Swedish school children

know how to swim, drowning remains the third most common cause of deathamong children.

In both the Netherlands and Belgium swimming lessons underschool time ( schoolzwemmen ,

school swimming) are supported by the government. Most schools provide swimming lessons.

Thereis a long tradition of swimming lessons in the Netherlands and Belgium, the Dutch

translation for the breaststroke swimming styleis even schoolslag (schoolstroke).

The children learn a variant ofthe breaststroke which is technically not entirely correct.

In many places, swimming lessons are provided by local swimming pools, both those run by

the local authority and by private leisurecompanies. Many schools also include swimming

lessons into theirPhysical Education curricula, provided either in the schools' ownpool, or in the nearest public pool.

In the UK, the "Top-ups scheme" calls for school children who cannot swim by the age of 11

to receive intensive daily lessons.These children who have not reached Great Britain's National

Curriculum standard of swimming 25 metres by the time they leaveprimary school will be

given a half-hour lesson every day for twoweeks during term-time.

In Canada and Mexico there has been a call for swimming to beincluded in the public school curriculum.

Swimsuits

Standard everyday clothing is impractical and unsafe forswimming. In historical cultures, it has been common to swim nude, but in those with taboos against nudity, specialized swimwear

has been the norm. Most cultures today expectswimsuits to be worn for public swimming.

Modern men's swimsuits are usually shorts, either skintight (jammers) or loose fitting

(swim trunks), covering only the upperlegs or not at all. Almost always, the upper body

is left uncovered.In some cultures, custom and/or laws have required tops for public swimming.

Modern women's swimsuits are generally skintight, either two pieces covering only the

breasts and pelvic region, or a single piece covering them both plus the torso between

them. Skirts are uncommon and short when included, but have been required and sometimes as much as full length in some cultures.

Competitive swimwear seeks to improve upon bare human skin for a speed advantage.

For extra speed a swimmer wears a body suit,which has rubber or plastic bumps that break

up the water close to the body and provides a small amount of thrust--just barely enough to help a swimmer swim faster. For swimming in coldwater, wetsuits provide thermal

insulation.

http://www.reference.com/browse/swimming

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 808