What would cause children to get blisters on their hands and feet that bleed after an hour or so when they swim in the condominium pool?

Answer 1

I got blisters on my feet from the rough concrete of a motel pool once. Never in my own vinyl lined pool. I must not have stayed in as long as your children did because my did not bleed. But they were extremely painful to the point of not even flip-flops were comfortable! Is the pool gunite or vinyl? Our 4 year old who is just learning to swim and barely tall enough to reach the bottom in the shallow end of the pool had what looked like a layer of skin being removed on the tips of his toes after a day in the pool. We figure it was from him trying to tip toe around the shallow end rather than trying to swim so we bought him a pair of water shoes. He hasn't had the problem since. Your condo may have a rule regarding water shoes, so that may not work for you. My son is 2-1/2 and just this weekend we had him in the neighborhood pool for half an hour. When he got out, he had blisters that had burst on his fingers and toes. They didn't bleed, but they were very frightening nonetheless. His feet were on the bottom, but his fingers hadn't touched the rough bottom and were just as blistered. I asked a fellow Mom who was a lifeguard in high school, and she said this is a symptom of a chlorine overdose. The pool had too much chlorine.

Answer:

I would hazard a guess that the plaster finish has deteriorated or has been acid washed within the year. An improper acid wash of pool plaster will make it extremely rough much like razor blades or broken glass. the results of this type of damage to the plaster shows inexperience of the person who has done the job. The least that could have been done was to power sand the plaster to make it smoother. But once the damage is done it is hard to correct. I would personally check out several areas of the surface of the plaster both floor and walls ( and steps) by lightly running my hand(s) over the surface of the plaster testing for roughness. If this is what you find contact the manager/owner/responsible party to see if it can be corrected within a reasonable time frame. Alternately you could call the health department in your area for them to come out to check it. This may result in the pool being closed until the pool is brought up to code. This may be a health hazard! Don't hesitate!!

K

Answer 2

Abrasions from the bottom and sides. If they swim a lot they'll form callus' but they are a pain at the beginning of the season. Pool shoes will help prevent them. I assume you are talking about the tips of the toes and/or heels and finger tips.

ANSWER::

The pool has either a bad, rough plaster finish possibly caused by a bad acid wash or bad prolonged water chemistry. If there has been no adjustment to the pH or alkalinity of the water then there salt stalagmites growing onto the plaster. If the plaster has been acid washed sometime in the past it was left rough by the acid. The job should have been completed by power sanding the plaster smooth. If this is a public or simi-public pool contact your local health athaurities. This is not a safe pool!! If a private pool stop using it until the problem has been corrected. If the sanitizer levels are not within parameters you can run the risk of an infection.

K