"Can cause diarrhea" Researcher warns against swimming in Lake Zurich
The persistently high temperatures have warmed the water in Lake Zurich considerably, which could lead to a possible deterioration in water quality.
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- The surface temperature of Lake Zurich has reached tropical levels in places and could affect the water quality.
- The closer the water temperature gets to human body temperature, the higher the risk of health problems such as diarrhea, warns Professor Thomas Posch in theTages-Anzeigernewspaper.
- While Professor Posch advises caution, the canton is reassuring and sees no dramatic change in water quality.
"The closer the water temperature gets to the human body temperature of 36 degrees, the more critical the situation becomes," explains Professor Thomas Posch from the University of Zurich in an interview with theTages-Anzeiger.
The water temperatures in Lake Zurich have risen to tropical levels in places. On Monday, a surface temperature of 28.4 degrees was measured in Oberrieden ZH, as reported by the Tages-Anzeiger.
This is almost record-breaking: in the last 15 years, the station of the Cantonal Office for Waste, Water, Energy and Air(Awel) has only recorded water temperatures above 28 degrees on eleven days.
High temperatures are the result of global warming
Professor Thomas Posch, an expert in limnology (the science of inland waters as ecosystems) at the University of Zurich, emphasizes: "This represents a possible impairment of water quality."
Posch goes on to explain that the high temperatures in the lake are a consequence of global warming and are now part of normality. This warming affects the water quality and the ecosystem of the lakes.
"In general, the following applies to all bathing waters: the closer the water temperature gets to the human body temperature of 36 degrees, the more critical the situation becomes," explains the university professor. "Ingesting this water orally is unhealthy and can lead to diarrhea, for example."
Canton relativizes the concerns
The question arises as to whether swimming in Lake Zurich is now associated with similar health risks as in the River Seine in Paris, which was the focus of attention during the Olympic Games.
The canton describes the situation as less dramatic. A certain level of contamination must always be expected. A cantonal chemist told theNZZnewspaper on Wednesday that there were hardly any fluctuations in the water quality of Zurich's waterways. Despite the high temperatures, there was no excessive bacterial growth.
Professor Posch told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that he swims every day: "However, I only go into the lake in the morning to cool off - the fewer people and dogs that have been in the lake, the lower the concentration of bacteria in the water."
