Water in WDW

GeoffR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just read a tragic article about a NJ man who was infected with a brain-eating amoeba while at a water park in Texas. This is very very rare, and even more rare because it usually only happens in fresh warm water. It affects people when it goes in through your nose forcefully; like falling while water skiing.

I know the rides use Bromine, but do the water parks use chlorine? I've gotten water in my nose on Summitt Plummit, but now I'm nervous

Geoff
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
This is one of many (including the downturn in tourism following 9/11 and the newer water parks taking more guests) reasons River Country closed, it used lake water in the water park and although it never happened it increases the risk of the issue.

The newer water parks use fresh chlorinated water, not lake water.
 

yaksplat

Well-Known Member
I know they used to use ozone back in the 90's. My dad's company was in the oxygen concentration business which was used for ozone generation. I know it was popular for water disinfectant at the time and I built some of the machines that were used for ozone generation in the pools in the '96 summer Olympics.

I have no idea what they're using now, but whatever it is, it's pretty minimal. I couldn't detect a smell at the Polynesian pool.
 

DisneyDoctor

Well-Known Member
Extremely unlikely. Cases have been reported of people using tap water in neti pots, note tap water, untreated. Like Marni said, if it's your time, it's your time. I wouldn't avoid a beloved park based on astronomically small odds of a brain eating amoeba.
 

jloucks

Well-Known Member
Just read a tragic article about a NJ man who was infected with a brain-eating amoeba while at a water park in Texas. This is very very rare, and even more rare because it usually only happens in fresh warm water. It affects people when it goes in through your nose forcefully; like falling while water skiing.

I know the rides use Bromine, but do the water parks use chlorine? I've gotten water in my nose on Summitt Plummit, but now I'm nervous

Geoff
That doesn't happen in "water parks". It happens in lakes. Warm lakes. And, it is pretty rare.

But it does happen.
 

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
My understanding is that the amoeba in question - Naegleria fowleri. - is warm water only, and seems to thrive when other circumstances kill off it competitors for food. The amoeba eats bacteria. Instances that either increase the bacterial count, or decrease the number of bacterial predators will increase the amoeba count.

For some reason, this amoeba is especially suited to entering the human body though the nasal passages.

In the WDW waterparks the water is sanitized, as required by law. Either via bromine, chlorine, or some other method (UV works, but it is big bucks). The water treatment in the water parks is not only going to kill the amoeba, but also kill its bacterial food supply. As long as you are not snorting Bay Lake, you should be good.

There was a water ski place near Orlando where you were attached to cables that would pull your across a lagoon (as opposed to a boat) that had a number of deaths. Apparently they recommended people wear nose plugs, but people were free not to. You fall when water skiing and you can get a good nose full of water.

As an aside, if you can smell chlorine in the water at a pool / park, that is a sign of not enough chlorine in the water. The chlorine will combine with organic matter to create combined chloromines, the combined cholomines are what you smell. If there is enough additional free chlorine, it will oxidize the combined chloromines, and you will have no smell. When you don't have enough free chlorine to oxidize them, then you get that "chlorine smell". And chlorine does not cause green hair either. that's from copper salts in the water.
 

DisneyDoctor

Well-Known Member
My understanding is that the amoeba in question - Naegleria fowleri. - is warm water only, and seems to thrive when other circumstances kill off it competitors for food. The amoeba eats bacteria. Instances that either increase the bacterial count, or decrease the number of bacterial predators will increase the amoeba count.

For some reason, this amoeba is especially suited to entering the human body though the nasal passages.

In the WDW waterparks the water is sanitized, as required by law. Either via bromine, chlorine, or some other method (UV works, but it is big bucks). The water treatment in the water parks is not only going to kill the amoeba, but also kill its bacterial food supply. As long as you are not snorting Bay Lake, you should be good.

There was a water ski place near Orlando where you were attached to cables that would pull your across a lagoon (as opposed to a boat) that had a number of deaths. Apparently they recommended people wear nose plugs, but people were free not to. You fall when water skiing and you can get a good nose full of water.

As an aside, if you can smell chlorine in the water at a pool / park, that is a sign of not enough chlorine in the water. The chlorine will combine with organic matter to create combined chloromines, the combined cholomines are what you smell. If there is enough additional free chlorine, it will oxidize the combined chloromines, and you will have no smell. When you don't have enough free chlorine to oxidize them, then you get that "chlorine smell". And chlorine does not cause green hair either. that's from copper salts in the water.
The amoeba will crawl up our first cranial nerve (olfactory) and into our brain. Pretty neat evolution.
 

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
The amoeba will crawl up our first cranial nerve (olfactory) and into our brain. Pretty neat evolution.

Yep, it is. But it still begs the question - why? The amoeba reproduces just fine in the water. It's food source is in the water. Infecting a human brain (or any brain for that matter) is not part of its' life cycle. So why develop that functionality?
 

Disney4family

Well-Known Member
Yep, it is. But it still begs the question - why? The amoeba reproduces just fine in the water. It's food source is in the water. Infecting a human brain (or any brain for that matter) is not part of its' life cycle. So why develop that functionality?
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zombie amoebas?
 

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