Kamilo Beach, located on the south-eastern tip of Hawaii's Big Island, has been dubbed one of the most plastic-polluted spots on the planet.
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Eighty-four percent of Gulf Coast beaches, 70% of West Coast beaches, and 63% of the Great Lakes reached these potentially unsafe levels at least once in 2022. A tool on the Environment America website shows state-by-state data if you want to see how your local beaches stack up.
On the West Coast, California, Oregon, and Washington had 70 percent of their beaches polluted at least once last year. Not far behind were beaches surrounding the Great Lakes, with 63 percent reporting fecal contamination at least once in 2022.
According to a damning new report from Environment America, over half of all U.S. beaches are contaminated with poop. Yep, you read that right. Pollution, overdevelopment, and unsanitary conditions have given many beaches a filthy reputation, making swimming in the water potentially unsafe.
You can get sick with diarrhea if you swallow contaminated water in pools, hot tubs, splash pads, oceans, lakes, or rivers. In fact, diarrhea is the most common illness reported for outbreaks linked to water in these places.
Some cities also have joint sewer and stormwater systems that can overflow—this leads to “a mixture of raw, untreated sewage and stormwater” that can sometimes flow onto recreational beaches, said Rumpler. Runoff water from large farms can sometimes also contaminate beaches, he added, as can feces from wildlife.