My Wednesday guest blogger is my co-editor, Cheryl Clemens:

I guess common sense has not prevailed on this topic because our government has made it official and requested that Americans not pee in public swimming pools this summer.

That’s right, the Water Quality and Health Council conducted a study this spring and discovered that 17 percent of adults surveyed admit to peeing in the pool during the summer.

Ever spent the afternoon swimming, only to go home with a cough or red, puffy, stinging eyes? Most people chalk it up to the chlorine in the pool, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s more likely a reaction to urine in the water.

But urine isn’t the only thing contaminating pool water. The study found that 11 percent of those surveyed admitted to swimming while they had a runny nose, 7 percent had an exposed rash or cut and 1 percent when ill with diarrhea.

And if you think chlorine kills bacteria and other nasties in pool water, you’re wrong. Cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes watery diarrhea, is resistant to chlorine and is now the most common cause of waterborne illness. And it only takes a small amount of the parasite in the water to make a person ill. That’s why pools ask that you shower before getting in the water – not because you’re dirty, but to remove any traces of feces that may be on your body.

So please, share this information with your kids, encourage them to take frequent bathroom breaks and set a good example yourself this summer.

(My thanks to CNN for some of the details in this blog.)