May 21st, 2018 by WCBC Radio

National Healthy and Safe Swimming Week runs May 21-27, the week leading up to Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. The Secretaries of Maryland’s Departments of Health, the Environment, and Natural Resources encourage all Marylanders to take note of swimming safety tips to ensure a safe and healthy swimming experience—no matter where they swim. 

“With Memorial Day approaching, many Marylanders will be heading to the pool or the beach,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Robert R. Neall. “We’re reminding Marylanders to keep swimming safety in mind to prevent injuries and drownings.  We want everyone to swim healthy and stay healthy all year.”

“The Department of the Environment partners with state agencies and local governments to make a day at the beach a fun and healthy time for Maryland families,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. “Beach conditions are monitored from Western Maryland lakes to the Ocean City surf, with updated information readily available on the Maryland Healthy Beaches website and through smartphone apps. We also urge everyone to follow the website’s do’s and don’ts for swimmers to stay healthy and waters to keep clean.” 

“Maryland’s beautiful waters delight millions of people all summer, whether in the Atlantic surf, Chesapeake tides or cold mountain rivers.” Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “It’s important to remember that water is also a potentially dangerous force of nature, and it’s essential to follow the rules of swimming safety.”

Swimming is one of Maryland’s most popular sporting and leisure activities. This year’s campaign will increase awareness of the simple things people can do to prevent the most common and serious health and safety risks associated with recreational water activities—drownings and injuries, sunburns and potential infections: 

• Never swim alone
• Always be aware of young children’s activities and whereabouts
• Use swim vests on all young children at the beach and for weaker swimmers in pools
• Reapply sunscreen frequently throughout the day
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Don’t swallow pool or beach water
• Change children’s diapers often to minimize the risk of contaminating water
• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea, or if you have open skin wounds or infections
• Stay out of the water if it has a strange color
• Use bug spray
• Learn how to avoid and to escape rip currents
• For pool owners, follow package directions when using pool chemicals
• Save contact information for emergency personnel in your cell phone

It is easy to stay safe and healthy while enjoying the water.  We urge you to keep your family healthy and safe this summer season, so you can enjoy all that Maryland’s recreational waters have to offer. 

For more information, call the Maryland Department of Health’s Environmental Health Helpline at 1-866-703-3266, or email mdh.envhealth@maryland.gov. You also can find current information on Maryland’s beaches on the Healthy Beaches website. Additional information is available on the Department’s Safe and Healthy Swimming site.