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Labor Day weekend beachgoers enjoying the warm feces of the American shore [1]
['Rob Beschizza']
Date: 2025-08-31
Thousands if not zillions of Americans are headed to the nation's beaches this Labor Day weekend, but the Associated Press warns that taking a dip is out of the question in many locales due to unsafe levels of fecal contamination.
Beaches from Crystal River, Florida, to Ogunquit, Maine, have been under advisories warning about water quality this week because of elevated levels of bacteria associated with fecal waste. The advisories typically discourage beachgoers from going in the water because the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, rashes and nausea.
Many popular beaches are closed, it reports, and it is part of a worsening pattern. Environment America reports that two thirds of beaches tested last year experienced at least one day where fecal levels exceeded safe levels.
Pathogens posed risks in other waters as well. More than half of the 3,187 coastal and Great Lakes beaches reviewed exceeded the EPA threshold on at least one day they were tested in 2024, including:
54 percent of East Coast beaches
71 percent of Great Lakes beaches
84 percent of Gulf Coast beaches
79 percent of West Coast beaches
Sources of contamination include runoff from nearby roads and parking lots, overflowing and failing sewers, and "industrial livestock operations," all of which can put swimmers' health at risk. A 2018 paper published in Environmental Health estimated 90 million illnesses a year, costing billions of dollars, as a result of the "4 billion surface recreation events," which is to say trips to the beach and similar activities.
Here's an exemplary quote from one beachgoer that the AP talked to.
"But generally, I have no concerns about the level of fecal and bacterial matter," said West while admiring Rehoboth's shore. "I assume the local authorities will tell us if there are higher levels than normal."
Surf's up! Bon Appétit!
Previously:
• Are there wasps in your figs?
• 'Why I Take All My First Dates to Olive Garden'
• Food scientist thinks people should overcome their reluctance to eat maggots that feed on waste
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