Surfers accidentally swallow 10 times more water than swimmers or divers, which increases their risk of catching a stomach "bug" from contaminated surf, an Oregon study warns.
The study, a collaboration among scientists from Oregon State University and the state Department of Environmental Quality, is based on an online survey of Oregon surfers; 520 replied. Researchers used the surfers' estimates of how much water they swallow during a typical day of surfing, plus water quality data collected at six popular surfing beaches, to calculate the risk of infection.
And here's the warm side of Oregon's legendarily frigid surf. The bacterial risk to Oregon surfers is relatively low, said David Stone, an OSU environmental toxicologist and co-author of the study. The findings suggest that water quality is better -- and the risk of gastrointestinal illness lower -- at Oregon beaches than at other popular surfing destinations, such as California, Hawaii or Florida.
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