Family’s holiday swim at council lagoon ends in excruciating pain

A number of Brisbane families are reporting symptoms akin to chemical exposure including burning eyes and lungs and itchy skin after swimming in a popular Brisbane lagoon.

Swimmers using a public lagoon north of Brisbane claim they have been left with itchy body parts with sensations similar to “chemical burns” after swimming in the water last month.

The lagoon at Settlement Cove in Redcliffe is managed by the Moreton Bay Regional Council who say they test and maintain the water regularly.

Sophie Lee, 31, from Narangba, said she visited the lagoon on December 23rd and within an hour her seven-year-old daughter, Emily, had complained of pain.

“We had to leave as it was burning her private bits,” Ms Lee said.

“We went to the hospital two hours after visiting the lagoon. Her belly was so swollen as she needed to pee so bad, but she wouldn’t want to pee because it was hurting her too much.

“We sat together and cried together. I didn’t know what to do. The worst pain ever. I just cried and told her to cuddle me and sleep.”

Emily being treated in hospital after swimming in the lagoon.

Ms Lee said her daughter said she couldn’t sleep the night after visiting the hospital.

“Emily is now scared of pools,” she said.

“She’s now too scared to even get into a pool now because she thinks the same thing is going to happen again.”

Harmonie Baker, 31, from Strathpine, took her family for a swim at the lagoon at the start of December.

“The kids wore their goggles and went in for a swim,” she said.

“My eleven-year-old came up about 15 minutes into the visit and complained her legs were burning and itchy.

“Within 20 minutes of leaving the lagoon they were all complaining of eyes burning like they didn’t have goggles on, itchy legs and extremely dry lips like they had been sucking on movie popcorn for hours.

Settlement Cove lagoon. Pic: Danica Clayton

“When we got home we washed their swimmers like usual and all swimmers were damaged, so they were thrown.

“The itch stayed with all of them for about a week and a half.”

Tracey Anderson, 47, from Narangba, said she had been visiting the lagoon for many years and had no issues.

“I went with my daughter a couple of times before Christmas,” she said.

“We both had burning eyes, my black swim pants turned brown, and I felt like my lungs had burns for a few days.”

A fourth person reached out to The Courier Mail and said she also experienced symptoms similar to chemical burns to genitals as well as her mouth, but did not want to be named.

She attended two different hospitals over Christmas and couldn’t urinate without screaming in agony.

A Moreton Bay Regional Council spokesman said council was extremely proactive about water testing at public pools.

“Council implements a comprehensive water testing regime across all public swimming facilities, which exceeds industry standards and ensures we have the best possible water quality,” he said.

Emily’s discharge letter.

Clothing discoloured after swim at Settlement Cove lagoon. Pic: Juana Ellison.

“Anyone with a skin or health condition that might be triggered by chlorine exposure is advised to seek specialist medical advice.

“Council immediately reviewed its water testing records after being advised of a post in an online forum, confirming that water quality readings that day were within a safe range.

“To ensure public safety, water at Council pools is tested multiple times throughout the day by operational staff, as well as being monitored in real time by Building Management Software.”

Reasa Geatches 30, from Brendale, said she experienced discomfort after swimming in the lagoon on January 1.

Reasa Geatches had a reaction after swimming in the pool.

“Within five minutes of being in the water, my eldest daughter was experiencing stinging in her private regions, and I was experiencing stinging on my face from where the water had splashed me,” she said.

“Thankfully, with long cold showers at home, the discomfort and irritation was relieved.”

Amy Firns, a Redcliffe local, revealed she sent a complaint about the water quality in November to the Moreton Bay Regional Council and received a phone call allegedly from a representative of the council assuring her the water quality was fine.

The Courier-Mail obtained a sample of the water at the lagoon on January 8 and had it tested by Queensland Pool Supplies at Aspley. The results are damning.

Krissie Meldrum is the director at Queensland Pool Supplies. She explained when the alkalinity of the water is low, it can cause irritation.

Krissie Meldrum, director of Queensland Pool Supplies

Water quality test results supplied by Queensland Pool Supplies.

“The test has shown the buffer is low, which causes low alkalinity and the stabiliser is low and there are traces of phosphates in the water as well,” she said.

“I’ve never seen this happen before with stabiliser.”

The test report was commissioned on an estimate of the lagoon size, however when combining a sample of the water with Cyanuric Acid Reagent, the water appeared cloudy.

Have you had a reaction after visiting Settlement Cove Lagoon? Email [e-mail]