A new EPA study says that building sandcastles is hazardous to your health.
The White House Dossier reported, via FOX Nation:
A new study performed by the EPA has determined that playing in the sand at the beach can make you sick.
In an article titled “Digging in Beach Sand Linked to Increased Risk of Gastrointestinal Illness,” the EPA cites a intensive study performed by EPA researchers and other scientists which found that your risk of getting sick might increase after playing in the sand.
People take certain precautions when they go to the beach. They apply sunscreen to avoid sunburn and stay away from big waves if they are not strong swimmers. But they do not usually worry about getting sick from digging or playing in the sand.
Unfortunately, beach sand could harbor even more harmful bacteria than nearby bathing waters. EPA researchers and their counterparts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Johns Hopkins University observed a positive relationship between sand exposure and gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses as a function of fecal microbial pollution in beach sand.