Latest news with #swimmingban
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Bathing restrictions at Dublin Bay's main beach in Dollymount follow suspected sewage discharge after heavy rainfall
Swimming has been banned at Dollymount strand in Dublin Bay after a 'suspected discharge' of sewage following heavy rainfall. The restriction at the popular designated bathing area on North Bull Island will continue over the coming days. Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Donna Cooney criticised the way the alert was issued and Uisce Éireann for failing to indicate the source of the discharge. 'This is disgraceful at the start of the bathing season,' she said. READ MORE She said alerts about bathing restrictions needed to be more widely disseminated, as she had found people swimming on the beach despite the measure being in place. Cllr Cooney, a member of the Green Party, said she received an alert to confirm water quality at the beach was 'excellent' on May 26th, but got no notice about the recent restriction. She said the utility company should have indicated where the discharge happened, given that real-time monitoring is supposed to be taking place at its Ringsend wastewater treatment plant. Ms Cooney is a regular swimmer at Dollymount and at the Bull Wall Ladies Shelter. She said she was concerned the discharge would lead to algal blooms as seawater warmed in the coming weeks, which would affect swimmers, water sports activities and marine life in the bay. Discharges have occurred intermittently from the plant, which has been operating at excess capacity for many years. Uisce Éireann said the discharge arose due to overflows from storm tanks at the Ringsend plant. 'There is online monitoring of these storm tanks and Dublin City Council, who are responsible for monitoring of bathing water quality, are notified of any overflows during the bathing season,' said a spokesman. 'Stormwater overflows are an essential part of any wastewater network that enable excess flows to be discharged into the sea, rivers or watercourses in a controlled and regulated manner ... Stormwater discharges normally do not have a lasting effect on bathing waters,' he added. 'The tide will wash out the spill and the salt water and sunlight acts to clean the water. Uisce Éireann apologises for any inconvenience caused and regrets the impact overflow incidents may have on beach users.' Uisce Éireann is investing more than €500 million to upgrade the plant so it can serve a 2.4 million population equivalent by the end of 2025. 'The upgrade of Ringsend means the capacity will be increased and these incidents will be fewer in number, although in extreme weather conditions they could still occur,' said the spokesman. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Health Service Executive have been informed, while the council, which erected notices at Dollymount, said it is awaiting laboratory results to determine whether the temporary prohibition can be lifted.
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Aussies banned from Olympics over new swimming law
Swimming's governing body has announced a blanket ban on any competitor that has taken part in the so-called 'Steroid Games'. Officially called the Enhanced Games, the multi-sport event founded by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza enables athletes to take performance enhancing drugs and compete in banned suits, scheduled to be held in Las Vegas next year. Former Australian world champion James Magnussen has become the public face of the Games, while compatriot and ex-swimmer Brett Hawke recently became the head coach of the Enhanced Games swimming team. Both will now be banned, effective immediately, from any future participation in swimming events at the Olympics or world championships, after World Aquatics (WA) became the first governing body to move on the controversial proposal. 'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,' World Aquatics president Husain al-Musallam said in a statement. 'This new bylaw ensures that we can continue to protect the integrity of our competitions, the health and safety of our athletes, and the credibility of the global aquatics community.' WA also encouraged member federations, such as Swimming Australia, to 'adopt similar policies at the national level'. Those that prepare for or take part in the Enhanced Games would also be ineligible to hold any position with the sport's governing body. Australian swimming great Ariarne Titmus reiterated her stance condemning the juiced up Games on Triple M. 'It doesn't sit well with me,' the four-time Olympic gold medallist said on Mick in the Morning. 'I think about what message is this sending kids around the world? That it's OK to take performance-enhancing drugs? 'I firmly believe that it's not. I don't think it's a good thing to do. We don't know exactly the implications of taking these amounts of performance-enhancing drugs are going to have on our body, and morally, I don't agree with it.' Magnussen announced earlier this week will tweak his doping and training regime for the Enhanced Games in a bid to win the revolutionary event after he was pipped in his quest to break the 50m freestyle world record. The Australian swimmer has been the talk of the sporting world after wild images emerged of his massively bulked up physique standing behind the blocks for his world record attempt. Magnussen, who has been retired for six years, has been taking a concoction of testosterone and peptides, among other substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to try to break the 50m freestyle world record. But the 34-year-old nicknamed 'the Missile' watched his dream of winning the US$1 million prize money go up in smoke after another swimmer beat him to it. Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev – aided by undisclosed substances and a polyurethane suit not approved for Olympic use – broke the world record at an Enhanced Games competition pool in North Carolina in February. Gkolomeev swam a time of 20.89 seconds, 0.02sec fastest than the longstanding supersuit world record held by Brazil's Cesar Cielo since the 2009 world championships. A documentary crew, who many believed were only there to witness Magnussen shattering the elusive record, instead captured 31-year-old Gkolomeev's incredible swim resulting in a $1m windfall, just months after he finished fifth in the 50m final at the Paris Olympics. But Magnussen will get another chance to claim the $1m payday he so craves at the inaugural Enhanced Games next year. D'Souza has said the million-dollar prize will still on the table at the official Enhanced Games, which will take place from May 21-24 next year at Resorts World Las Vegas, with events in swimming, athletics and weightlifting. Hawke is a two-time Olympian and medallist at the Commonwealth Games and shortcourse world championships during his career in the pool. He was recently the head coach of singer-turned-swimmer Cody Simpson during his comeback to the sport. The 50-year-old Hawke was appointed the head swimming coach of the Enhanced Games last month and has been flooding his Instagram page with videos and content on the concept. He captioned one post: 'Just the suit and enhancements? Look deeper. You need skill and talent to swim faster than anyone in history.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
No Swimming Allowed at California Beach on Memorial Day
Residents of Coronado, California and its surrounding areas are having their fun in the sun limited by swimming bans at local beaches. On Saturday, San Diego County health officials announced the entire western shoreline of Coronado would be closed due to sewage contamination from the Tijuana River, an ongoing problem. "A water contact closure is issued when a sewage spill or chemical spill impacts ocean or bay waters," says the official San Diego County website. "Sewage/chemical contaminated water may contain chemicals or human pathogens that can cause ill health. The Department of Environmental Health & Quality (DEHQ) directs beach users to avoid contact with ocean and bay waters in the closure area." Other areas, like the Tijuana Slough shoreline, which has been closed since December 2021, and Imperial Beach (closed since January) and the Silver Strand (closed earlier this month), also remain shut down. "Beach goers are advised that the ocean water contains sewage and may cause illness," said the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality in a statement. According to CBS8, lifeguards were stationed on the affected beaches, giving the bad news to tourists hoping to get in the water. "So I drove three hours from L.A. to get in over here to these beaches," said Mario Espinosa. "Everyone talks about how wonderful the San Diego coast is, and look, we come to this beach and we can't even get into the water." The ongoing issues with water quality in the Coronado area have caused frustration for visitors and tourists and led the city to declare a state of emergency in order to hopefully inspire action. No Swimming Allowed at California Beach on Memorial Day first appeared on Men's Journal on May 26, 2025
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The Independent
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘It doesn't look like it's filled with sewage': Fox News host defends RFK Jr swimming in Rock Creek
Fox News pundit Jesse Watters defended Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he took a dip in Washington D.C.'s Rock Creek this past weekend, despite severe bacteria warnings. 'That [creek] looks clean,' Watters said on The Five on Tuesday. 'It doesn't look like it's filled with sewage,' he added. Watters, who has previously boasted of his close ties with the Trump administration, added: 'I know the entire cabinet and that I'll be asking for special favors.' On Sunday, RFK Jr. shared that he took a dip in the creek with his grandchildren, despite the NPS's ban on swimming and water wading in Rock Creek Park 'due to high bacteria levels.' 'Mother's Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,' the controversial secretary shared on X Sunday. NPS officials advise that the high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens pose a hazard to both human and pet health. RFK Jr. is known for going against the grain and challenging traditional scientific advice from entrenched public institutions. Earlier this month, he falsely asserted that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine contains 'aborted fetus debris', while multiple measles outbreaks have been surging in North America. 'With all due respect, swimming in Rock Creek is prohibited because the water is contaminated with [feces],' one X user wrote in response to the health secretary's swimming post. While Isik Mater, another X user, wrote: 'Wild how RFK Jr. warning everyone about the 'dangers of vaccines' is out here letting his grandkids splash around in the kind of creek that gives you flesh-eating bacteria and E. coli. Hope they packed something more protective than natural immunity.' MAGA supporters, on the contrary, praised the health secretary for taking the dangerous dip. Watters went on to state that 'you can see right through' the bacteria-ridden creek, in contrast to the Hudson River, which 'you can't even see through,' he said.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
RFK Jr sparks health warning after posting pictures from Mothers' Day hike with his grandkids
Robert F. Kennedy Junior has shared pictures of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a DC creek that is contaminated with feces. Authorities warn that Rock Creek, used to drain excess sewage and storm water in heavy rainfall, is positively teeming with and other dangerous bacteria. But the Health Secretary, 71, still took a dip in it with his grandchildren this Mother's Day apparently unaware of the danger. He shared photos of the swim online, showing himself in the water with his jeans on and, at one point, fully submerged. His grandchildren paddled in the water nearby, and one was photographed splashing him with the water. The National Park Service, which manages the Creek, warns online: 'Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading and other contact with the water a hazard to human health. 'Please protect yourself and your pooches by staying on trails and out of the creek.' It adds in the advisory: 'All District waterways are subject to a swim ban — this means wading, too!' Rock Creek, which runs through Dumbarton Oaks Park in the city, has had a swim-ban in place because of the sewage for at least 50 years. Sampling of water running through Rock Creek in September last year, the latest available, revealed an level in the water of 285 per 100 milliliters. The World Health Organization suggests that any count over 10 per sample is 'low risk', while any over 100 is 'medium risk'. It says it is best for water to contain no The Health Secretary shared images of himself taking the dip on Sunday with the caption: 'Mother's Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius, in Rock Creek.' His post on X has since had a warning placed onto it, that reads: 'Swimming in Rock Creek is dangerous and prohibited by the National Park Service, as the creek contains dangerously high bacteria levels.' Some followers were quick to point out that the water around DC is dangerous and can be contaminated with bacteria. But others heralded him for taking a dip, and applauded his 'healthy and happy family'. has contacted the White House for comment. It's just the latest in a series of peculiar incidents related to RFK's outdoors personality. Previously, his family members have said RFK decapitated a whale carcass in 1994 after its bodywashed up on a beach near Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. His daughter Kick told Town and Country magazine in 2012: '[He] ran down to the beach with a chainsaw, cut off the whale's head and then bungee-corded it to the roof of the family minivan for the five-hour haul back to Mount Kisco, New York.' She added: 'Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet.' RFK has also recounted how he once dumped a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park in 2014. And on the campaign trail, the then Presidential hopeful told crowds how he had a dead worm lodged in his brain.
