Sand play gets dirty

By Lauren Hill

Potential dangers at the beach: sunburns, sharks, socks with sandals. Now it’s time to add one more: sand. Yes, sand.

Prolonged playing in the gritty substance has been linked to a variety of minor illnesses, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. As if we needed greater testament to the destructive affection we have for our coastlines, other findings have also revealed a prevalence of microscopic plastic particles and staph contaminating American beaches.

Fecal matter is also increasingly common in the composition of the sand that lines our coasts, according to a study from the University of North Carolina. Researchers interviewed more than 27,000 beachgoers at seven U.S. beaches and found a correlation between the amount of sand interaction and the occurrence of illness in the following days. Scientists there have documented an increased risk of gastrointestinal illnesses, upper respiratory complications,
rash, eye ailments, earaches and infected cuts. Sources of contamination are generally
attributed to nearby municipal sewage treatment plants, urban runoff, agricultural runoff, and domestic animals.

These findings question the traditional method of determining beach health, which is generally found by testing a water sample taken just offshore. Rarely have officials taken sand composition into account when determining beach closures for public safety. In addition to health risks, contaminated sand has potential economic impacts, including health care costs and
lost dollars in the tourism industry from beach closures.

We usually assume that what we do on our beaches doesn’t have much of a broader impact. However, because beaches are ever-changing collections of loose sediment and debris, the actions we take on our own beaches have far-reaching ramifications. Leaving a plastic bottle on the beach here, or burying our pets’ poop in the sand there might seem insignificant. But our rubbish eventually compounds, and we effectively create bizarre phenomena like the Texas-sized collections of plastic in the open Pacific, or have to face the risk of getting sick from playing in the sand.

When we do not consider the implications of our individual actions, we risk the slow and steady degradation of our common resources. This is referred to as the Tragedy of the Commons, an idea conceived by Garrett Hardin to expose the human tendency to neglect sustainability. While no single person can prevent the issue, there are precautions that we can all take to avert the contamination of our beach sand and ourselves. Designated beach clean-ups are noble community efforts, but a more sustainable approach involves embracing cleaner habits every
day. This includes picking up whatever trash is around you at the beach and even respectfully informing a dog walker about the illegality of leaving their dog’s waste behind.

In order to prevent further deterioration of our sacred spaces – and getting sick just from playing on the beach – we must develop a collective ethic of conservation, supported by individual responsibility.