Do you think that pond water is safe for young kids to use for experiments, in a supervised classroom?

Question

or can you think of any possible risks/hazards?

Answer 1

It was safe to swim in when I was a kid...why not now?

People wonder why humans are so prone to catching

diseases nowadays.  One reason is because we are

so protected today.  We have no immunity because we

no longer come into contact with anything "unclean".

When I think of all the buttermilk, eggs, bacon, butter

molasses and bread that my grandaddy consumed...

and then worked it off every day...and lived to be 93..

it really makes me wonder if we are not overly health

conscious.  Talk about fat young people.  It's not the

diet.  It is lack of pure old excercise.  They sit on their

behind all day long in front of the tube.  I believe its in

the genes nowadays...because parents sit right there

with them.

Sorry, I guess you didn't ask about all that.  I just got

carried away.

Answer 2

Are their risked? Yes. But the risks are small, especially if monitored by a teacher. If you live near Love Canal, then I would advise against it in any circumstances. Otherwise, at your own discretion.

Answer 3

Not safe if the pond is next to a nuclear power plant...

Answer 4

Pond water has been used for about 100 years to illustrate to young students the potential hazards of pond water.  The dirtier the water the more convincing the demonstration is.  Unless the supervision has suddenly become woefully inadequate the experiments are safe.  I can come up with quite a list of hair-raising hazards, but then the point of the experiments is to provide visualization of those hazards.

Answer 5

of course there are hazards...but if it is supervised by a teacher, then I woud HOPE you could trust the teacher

Answer 6

Pond water is safe as long as everyone washes hands with soap thoroughly after the experiment.

Answer 7

It could be tested before hand, but in reality there's no more danger with pond water than with tap water that has been sitting on a counter for a few days.  The risk is that some pathogen is in the water, normally a protozoa, however most that would live in pond water would not affect humans.  I wouldn't reccomend livestock run off ponds, but your normal run of the mill pond is fine.  It may have some plankton and moss in it, but nothing really dangerous.