[Hygienical assessment of swimming pool water covers made of plastic (author's transl)].

Swimming pool water covers made of different plastics were investigated in laboratory experiments. The possible influence on the chemical and the bacteriological water quality (test bacterium Ps. (fluorescens) was observed. Strong-PVC-plastics proved to have no respectively hardly any chemical or bacteriological influence on the water quality. PE-soft-plastics showed clearly higher chlorine consumption and TOC counts. The influence on bacterial growth was here either inhibition or of nutrient character. A direct colonisation of the plastic was not to be seen--neither in vivo nor in vitro. There are no principal objections against the use of plastics swimming pool covers from hygienical point of view. Some limitating aspects are discussed.