Doctors Warn Against 6 Common Poolside Habits for Safety and Health

This article from HuffPost UK highlights six common poolside behaviors that doctors advise against for safety and health reasons. First, skipping a pre-swim rinse reduces chlorine's effectiveness and creates irritating byproducts; the CDC recommends at least a minute under the shower. Second, bringing glass near the pool poses a risk of invisible, sharp shards that can cause deep lacerations requiring hospital admission in nearly 5% of cases, and may necessitate draining the pool. Third, leaving a child unattended, even briefly, is extremely dangerous because drowning is often silent and fast; a survey found 48% of parents mistakenly believe they would hear splashing or crying. The article cites dermatologist Dr. Chris Bunick and emergency department chair Dr. Steven Valassis, emphasizing that swim lessons alone do not eliminate drowning risk. The advice aims to prevent injuries, contamination, and life-threatening incidents.