Convert Bainbridge Island's Aquatic Center to Salt/UV Sanitation!
- par: Health-conscious BI swimmers
- destinataire: Bainbridge Island Park Commissioners
(PLEASE NOTE - This petition serves residents of Bainbridge Island WA/USA. Signatures from those outside our community, while appreciated, will need to be removed when presented to our Park District. PLEASE also enter your name, or at least first name and last initial instead of choosing to remain wholly anonymous, since wholly withheld names weaken the credibility of the petition. Thank you)
With toxic fumes from tobacco, it's a wonder people in the mid-century didn't realize smoking was unhealthy. Yet similar issues concern those who swim in public pools. The byproducts and binding agents from industrial chlorine pool sanitation impact lung health, dry skin/hair, and burn eyes amidst a chlorine haze we also breathe poolside.
Research has shown that:
- competitive swimmers lung enzymes are found similar to a person who smokes 1-2 packs of cigarettes per day.
- 83-91% of the chemicals entering our body come through the skin
- women with breast cancer have 50-60% higher levels of chlorine byproducts in their breast tissue than women without breast cancer (in light of which, the EPA raised skin absorption of chlorine to its top ten carcinogen watch list.
- during Olympic Games in Australia, it was reported that more than one-quarter of the American swim team suffered from some degree of asthma
Yet chlorine in the form of gas, granula, or liquid is no longer necessary to purify public pools!
In 2004, BI Parks added a $65K ozone generator hoping to achieve greater sanitation in its traditional chlorine pool. Alas, it just now spent another $35K for a UV system once again hoping to improve sanitation and lessen the need/impact of industrial chlorine. Yet neither ozone, or UV, are complete solutions to health impacts from traditional chlorine sanitation systems.
What will solve this problem? A conversion to a salt water/UV system, now considered state-of-the-art in pool sanitation.
Saltwater is natural, and while also producing chlorine, does so in a simple, natural form in contrast to the binding compounds associated with industrial chlorine which lead to discomfort and health risks. Ocean swimming offers an interesting comparison. Swimming in saltwater pools is similarly healthier, more pleasant and makes one's skin feel like silk!
BI Parks has been offered such a system by a leading provider located in Manchester, WA - NOTE: with NO upfront cost, NO increase in monthly expense beyond present costs of chlorine (no longer needed) - AND with a projected return on investment (ROI) of $49-104K from savings of increased chlorine prices over the next ten years!
BI Park Commissioners have been erroneously advised, however, that no significant difference exists between salt and traditional chlorine delivery. Yet alas, this is notthe case as ample facilities locally, nationally and globally testify the difference and preference. Among them on BI are the "Healing Waters" pool (164 Knechtel Way, Winslow) where Aqua-core classes and therapy sessions occur. Also, the USN pool in Everett, and municipal pool in Fife WA.
We therefore call upon our elected BI Park Commissioners to accept the generous bid before it offering a complete salt/UV sanitation system at no up-front costs to this community and no increased costs per month beyond present costs of chlorine gas while projecting an estiamted return on investment to our community of $49K-104K over the next ten years.
Help us save $35K while increasing Aquatic Center use (revenue) by providing this financially wise, healthier, more appealing salt/UV system!
- Sign this petition
- Call BI Parks Director Terry Lande @ 842-2306 x112 or email Terry@BIParks.org
- Call or email our elected Park District Commissioners
- Help hand out flyers and obtain petition signatures
For further info: call (206) 842-8662 or email <BI_salt-UV-swimming@comcast.net>
Thank you.
In 2004, the BI Park District spent $65K to add an ozone generator to our pools in response to concerns of burning eyes, drying skin and other health issues. This month (May 2011) it approved another $35K to add UV for the same purpose.
The Aquatic Center has yet to recognize that while ozone was doing its job to enhance sanitation and thereby reduce need for adding chlorine, by continuing to measure sanitation via parts-per-million of chlorine versus bacteria count owing to the impact of ozone, the addition of even more chlorine to meet the ppm chlorine standard seems to have exacerbated the health/comfort problem in effect voiding the value of an ozone generator.
Despite being advised that the WA State Health Department official overseeing municipal pools and Kitsap County Health Director each affirmed measuring sanitation by bacteria count would be an acceptable alternative, the Aquatic Center continued to measure by ppm of chlorine. Will this also occur with the UV?
Now, rather than make this adjustment or better yet, embrace an ultimate solution, BI Parks spends $35K for another partial solution (UV) while still measuring sanitation by parts-per-million of chlorine. In doing so, BI Parks also disregards the reality that ozone and UV are NOT complete solutions to health impacts associated with organiochloramine by-products.
Of concern, too, is that chlorine is delivered to our Aquatic Center as gas. This poses additional risks - i.e., were a leak or (heaven forbid) an explosion to occur, the results could be tragic across a wide perimeter.
What will solve this problem? A conversion to a salt water/UV system now considered state-of-the-art in pool sanitation.
BI Parks/Aquatic Center has been offered an effectively "cost-free" system by the CEO of the longest standing company working with Automated Chlorine Generators in the commercial market in the United States - a company located near BI in Manchester WA - just awarded 2011 Architectural Showcase and 2011 Innovative Architecture & Design Awards for sustainable aquatics NATIONWIDE!
Offered first in March 2009, this system would be made available at: (1) NO upfront costs, (2) NO increase in monthly payments beyond present costs of chlorine (no longer needed), and (3) a projected return on investment of $49-104K over the next ten years based upon price increases in chlorine.
Yet BI park commissioners have continued to erroneously advise that chlorine naturally produced by salt is the same as a traditional industrial chlorine system, when alas, there is a known qualitative difference between the two demonstrated by municipal pools locally, nationally and globally.
We, therefore, call upon the BI Park Commissioners to accept the generous offer placed before it providing a complete salt water/UV system at no up front costs to this community with no increased costs per month beyond that formerly spent for chlorine gas therein projecting a return on investment to our community of $49-104K over the next ten years.
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