Recreational Use of Coastal Waters: Development of Health-Related Standards

Basic questions which must be answered before standards for protecting the health of recreational users of water can be developed are considered. These questions are then used to assess the ways in which such standards and guidelines have been developed in North America and Europe. Only the North American guidelines have used epidemiological investigations to define risks to health, and other standards are apparently arbitrary. All the standards considered are directed primarily at bathing, although other water sports may involve greater or lesser degrees of contact with water and hence different risks. The statistical difficulties in defining both the central levels of counts of faecal indicator bacteria and their variability are discussed, because these affect the way in which standards are drafted and implemented. The point is made that only longterm improvements in marine disposal schemes can improve microbiological conditions and reduce risks to health, and that the main benefit of standards is to point out where such improvements are needed.