Now that summer is officially here, your thoughts may have turned to backyard barbecues, picnics and pool parties. But before you set up the tiki bar, fire up the grill or jump in the pool or the surf, spend a little time reviewing these tips for a healthy summer:
- Never leave a child alone or out of view in or around a pool, spa or hot tub – even for a second.
- Be responsible for your own children. If you children cannot swim, strongly consider giving them lessons – it could save their lives.
- When at a pool with non-swimmers and young children, if you must turn your back or step away, hand over the task of supervising to another adult. Be sure that adult knows who he or she is watching.
- Inflatable floats are not lifesaving devices. Life vests provide better buoyancy and leave arms free, but are not a substitute for adult eyes and ears.
- Keep scooters, tricycles and bikes away from the pool to avoid accidental falls.
- If you own a pool in Westchester that was built or remodeled after Dec. 14, 2006, your pool must be equipped with a state-approved pool alarm. Owners of pools built before that date are strongly urged to install a pool alarm.
- When packing for a picnic or road trip, always place drinks in a separate cooler so the food cooler can stay closed and keep cold foods no warmer than 45 degrees F. Be sure to keep salads that contain eggs or mayonnaise, such as macaroni, potato salad or cole slaw in a cooler with ice packs or ice.
- Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before handling food. The main thing to remember about cookouts is to bring your food thermometer along, wrap raw meat securely and keep it in a cooler until it’s time to cook.
- Cook all beef and poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Wash the plates, utensils and cutting boards that held raw meat or poultry before using again for cooked food. In hot weather, when it’s 90 degrees or higher, food should not be left out for more than one hour.
- Avoid the midday sun if possible, wear a hat, sunglasses and apply sunscreen a half-hour before you go outdoors. The sunscreen should have an SPF of at least 15 – the higher the better – and both UVA/UVB protection. Reapply sunscreen every few hours and also after you swim.
- Call ahead to the beach you plan to visit to find out whether it is open or closed, especially the day or two after a heavy rain.
- When you visit a public pool or spray park, shower before you jump in and avoid getting pool water in your mouth. If you have your own pool or spa, you’ll want to learn more about drain cover safety concerns.
- Summer time also brings out the anglers and sport fishermen. But you can’t always eat what you catch. Read about what’s safe to eat from local waters in English or in Spanish.
- To avoid a lot of itchy mosquito bites, walk around your yard, deck and driveway and dump out any standing water that accumulates in kiddie pools, pails, wheelbarrows or waste receptacles. Mosquitoes can breed in the tiniest puddle of water left standing for at least four days. The Westchester County Department of Health has inspected all 66,000 catch basins throughout the county and has applied larvicide to every state, county and municipal catch basin that holds water, to prevent the mosquitoes that can carry West Nile Virus from breeding. You can help, too, by reporting standing water thay may contribute to mosquito breeding, to the Westchester County Department of Health at 813-5000.