Summer can best be described by the words of my favourite Disney character: just keep swimming, swimming, swimming! Perfecting your front crawl or butterfly stroke can be especially satisfying in a lake where you are surrounded by fresh air and sunshine, but sadly, lakes can also contain potentially toxic and harmful substances. These are some of the good and not so good things about lakes to help you decide if swimming in one (or several) is for you this summer.
1. Lakes can have toxic algae
A 2013 CBC news story reported that microcystin, a poisonous cyanobacterial toxin, was discovered in 246 Canadian bodies of water. Blue-green algae is linked to a specific type of bacteria that is found in almost every Canadian lake. Algae with this distinct colour often grows in the summer and prefers slow-moving, shallow water. It has also been uncovered that cyanobacterial toxins associated with blue-green algae have implications on human health, such as damaging the nervous system or liver, as well as irritating eyes and skin. Ingesting blue-green algae in water has additionally been known to lead to diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever and headaches (source).
2. Pools are pee-fect
Unlike lakes, pools may have less of a chance of developing toxic algae. However, they have a greater likelihood of containing lots of urine. A 2017 news story reported on University of Alberta researchers who uncovered that the average swimming pool may contain as much as 75 litres of urine (source).
3. Lakes can have other annoying things that pools do not
While lakes may not contain as much urine in a concentrated area as pools, they can also have other irritants. Stepping on a sharp and hidden rock as you are wading into the deeper section of a lake can be annoying. Seaweed can be smelly and stick to you as you’re trying to get past it, and seeing dead fish on the beach is not fun either.
4. But swimming in a lake also means that you’re surrounded by fresh air and sunshine
Swimming in a lake may mean that you will run into algae, rocks, seaweed and rotting fish. But it also means that you can look up to see an endless blue sky above you, inhale fresh air, feel the sunshine upon your skin and have a guaranteed opportunity to spend some quality time outside!