Sea sand can cause pollution even when water is clean

A new study has just been published to show that sea sand can be filled with bacteria even when the sea water is very clean.

Bacteria can grow in the sand and live there for a while. Health workers have long known that urban marine pollution involves microorganisms, including E.coli and microbes. Enterococci are found in the stool. Researchers at the University of California have discovered that bacteria can grow in sand and live there for a long time after the sea has completely cleaned itself.

Lead researcher Jennifer Jay, said: 'Even in the days when the sea water is very clean, bacteria stay in the sand for a week'.

Ms. Jay and a recently graduated graduate student conducted experiments at three beaches: the beach of Surfrider in Malibu, Santa Monica and Mother at Marina del Ray during the typhoon season in February 2003. They also surveyed 13 beaches in Santa Monica Bay from Malibu to Redondo in the summer, focusing on moist sand near the water's edge.

They found that the concentration of bacteria in the sand in pre-emptive parental protected areas of young children was 1,000 times higher than the beaches opened to the ocean.

However, Ms. Jay said, it is difficult to assess the health risks that these bacteria caused by medical standards for marine sediments have not been built.

Researchers will continue to experiment to see if there is virus present in the sand.

Mark Gold, chief executive of Heal the Bay, located on Santa Monica Bay, said the study added a warning to sea cleaning efforts and could lead to many other health warnings that could arise. along the coast.

HV