Garda Coast Water Quality and Allergy Trends Compared to Previous Years
This year as well, the Riviera del Garda is preparing to close the season with the Blue Flag flying everywhere (the only exception, according to the latest bulletin from the ASL, is the S. Giulia beach in Padenghe). In fact, apart from sporadic exceptions, the Brescia coast, as well as those in Veneto and Trentino, have offered exceptional water quality for bathing.
This is evidenced by the biweekly bulletins issued by the Distretto Asl di Salò or the comprehensive reports prepared by the Garda Community (which are also transmitted abroad). Another recent development is the positive trend of certain allergies that, in previous years, affected numerous bathers who, coming into contact with water contaminated by insects or algae, had to seek medical help at various emergency rooms.
Evolution of Allergies and Summer Issues
Although summer is not yet over, it is true that in previous years, as soon as temperatures hit record-high levels, the annoying skin irritations known roughly as “grattarola” (itchy rash) would systematically appear.
This year, despite weeks where temperatures repeatedly reached and exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, fortunately, there was no surge at Emergency Services or pharmacies. “We confirm that the situation regarding ‘grattarola’ is significantly better than a few years ago. But,” explains Dr. Angelo Benedetti, manager of the Garda Health District, “these are biological phenomena related to insects or algae, because they follow annual cycles in the lake.
Some years are “good,” others less so, depending also on environmental conditions.” Benedetti recalls the example of “chironomids,” the notorious midges that invaded the Venice area several years ago to the point of causing disruptions to the railway line. Therefore, biological events, partly unknown and partly understood, are believed to underpin this fluctuating situation often experienced along the Riviera del Garda, particularly in the southern part where waters are shallower and stagnant compared to the more ventilated and current-exposed northern area.
Advice and Causes of “Grattarola”
It would be enough to recall the false alarm over pollution issued recently between Lugana and San Benedetto: the suspicious substance was actually an algal bloom. Dr. Crescenzo Messino, from the same zone district with the specific role of monitoring water issues, explains, “It’s never redundant to advise tourists using our beaches. In fact, it’s better not to bathe near reed beds or in areas where colonies of waterfowl are visible, as their droppings, as is known, can cause skin issues upon contact with water.
Additionally, it’s best to avoid swimming near ports or in stagnant water; it’s safer to swim offshore. “I can also confirm that the ‘grattarola’ phenomenon —” continues Messino “— has become less intense, but it’s still advisable to wait until the end of the season.”
As remembered, after research and studies, the primary cause of ‘grattarola’ was identified a few years ago as trichobilharzia ocellata, a cercaria — a parasitic larva typically hosted by aquatic birds and freshwater mollusks.
The parasite, upon contact with the skin of more sensitive bathers, causes a bothersome dermatitis. So what should bathers who, for various reasons, cannot leave the shore do? “Always remember to avoid bathing in stagnant waters or near reed beds; once out of the water, matter should be dried and the skin rubbed vigorously with a towel.”