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Experts Say Cancun Pools Are Not Meeting Water Quality Guidelines

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Thinking about going for a swim in your upcoming Cancun vacation? About 99.9% of folks who head over to Cancun for vacation will at some point find themselves swimming in a pool. According to local experts though, there’s a chance that the pool could be filled with bacteria. There are actual legal standards that regulate how a pool should be cleaned in Cancun. However, it seems that local authorities have a hard time policing this issue.

Police in beach area

How Pools In Cancun Are Currently Being Cleaned   

For the most part local hotels, and other places where pools are located use large amounts of chlorine to be able to clean the pools. That’s why you can perceive that strong smell when you enter the pool. Jesus Cuevas of Aquaforum, a certified pool cleaning organization explains that the excessive use of chlorine is not necessarily a proper way to clean a pool.

Cleaning Pool

In fact for him the biggest problem is that pool cleaners are not taking into account the “human element”. When cleaning these pools they remove all of the trash and things that they can see. Just adding chlorine, though, doesn’t fully solve the problem of the amount of human urine that ends up in pool water! 

Public Pool

What A Properly Cleaned Pool Should Look & Smell Like

How do you know that you’re getting into a clean pool? Jesus Cuevas actually provided some insight for tourists so that they can quickly figure out if the pool that they are getting into is properly clean. While also talking about the proper cleaning process in pools, saying,

Hotel Pool Cancun

“The main chemical element used to clean pools is in fact chlorine. That doesn’t mean though, that a pool that reeks of chlorine is properly treated. Real success is reached when the pool has no scent at all. The water must also be perfectly clear. Ideally, you’re going to want to see that the hotel or place where the pool is located has the necessary instruments on hand to clean the pool.”

Not Ideal Pool Conditions

Pushing For Stricter Laws To Regulate Pool Cleaning

Companies that boast official pool cleaning licenses are pushing for stricter water quality laws to be put in place. Their motive seems to be quite clear. Private facilities like hotels are potentially using in-house staff to clean their pools. Doing so in an effort to cut down on maintenance costs. Stricter regulations would essentially force them to go out and hire some of these certified pool cleaning companies to provide their services. With that in mind, though, some of the initiatives that are being thrown out there seem to be quite positive. 

Luxury hotel with infinity pool and palms all around it.
Luxury hotel with infinity pool and palms all around it by the turquoise blue sea water.

As things stand local authorities don’t have a clear idea of exactly how many pools are operating in the Cancun area. Regulated pool cleaning companies want authorities to create an updated database to show how many pools are currently being operated. Both in the public and private sectors. This would certainly help authorities keep tabs on the pools. Currently, there are still public and private pools that tourists potentially use that are not being constantly checked out by local authorities.

xcaret hotel

The Risks of Getting Into A Pool That Hasn’t Properly Been Cleaned

What’s the worst thing that could happen if you get into a pool that hasn’t been properly cleaned? Hepatitis is one of the common diseases that can be traced back to the bad quality of the water. The bacteria that are typically found in dirty water can harm the lungs and the liver. These situations certainly make up the worst case scenario. On the other hand, when too much chlorine is used to clean the pool folks tend to report the appearance of rashes, and other types of allergic reactions! In short, dirty pools are not too much fun.

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